Kingdom Hearts: The Long Journey
by prince of underbrush
Summary: He never did change... (warning: this story is based entirely around the end and secret ending of Kingdom Hearts 3. For your own sake please experience the game to completion before reading.)
1. The Long Journey

"-And that's just the short of it." Luxu finished with an expectant glance to his dumbfounded compatriots.

The silence that fell over the battlefield could be severed with a knife. That being said, it took very little for Aced's typical volume to utterly shatter it. "Excuse me!? You're telling me that the master put us all through that just for this scheme!?" The bear of a man quivered with anger, earning a disapproving glower from Ira. Luxu, or as he was now called, Xigbar, quietly smirked in reply.

"It would make sense though," Gula interceded, now stirred from his thoughts. "If these events were the catalysts for his own existence, he would have no choice but to follow the proverbial script". Adopting a posture that conveyed critical thought he continued. "What I don't understand is why he would insist on using the box…"

Before Aced could share his own opinion on their master's "apparent insanity", it was Invi who provided further insight. "It's because he still has a role to play, isn't it?" The sharpshooter attempted to wink in reply. "You're right on the money sister. Speaking of, I'm going to need some help with this lid here" he explained with a brandish of No Name. "Boss made sure to seal it up nice and tight for trip."

Ira was the first to summon his own keyblade, followed by Invi and Gula. Taking a moment to curb his frustration Aced finally brandished his, muttering how his master would never hear the end of this. With an almost rehearsed motion all five keyblade masters pointed their blades at the box, dissolving the locks into stardust.

Slowly the lid of the ancient chest lifted of its own accord, revealing the black robed figure inside. Lazily extricating himself from the box, the master of masters thoroughly stretched himself out with a yawn, as if it was any other morning routine. "(*yawn), morning everyone, thanks for getting me out of that thing. Who knew I'd get a taste of Genie's old lifestyle?"

Finally boiling over, Aced menacingly marched over to the lazy orchestrator in a quivering fury. "You put us through all of this-this torture, just so you could take the longest nap in all of history!?" His master simply raised his hands in surrender, "what can I say? I needed my beauty sleep." With a combined effort, Ira and Xigbar restrained the bear masked fellow from lunging at their newly awakened mentor.

"Calm down big guy, you're not the only one here who wants to beat up the old idiot," Xigbar consoled. Having calmed his ursine friend into only staring daggers, he was able to display his full profile to the subject of their ire. "… Wait a sec…" the master of masters began to scrutinize his most valuable student, suddenly erupting in explication. "Luxu!? You were Xigbar this whole time!? Oh man!" having his mind thoroughly blown the teacher brought a hand over his forehead, "I can't believe it! I would have never seen this coming!"

He suddenly paused, having just arrived to the train of thought Xigbar was dreading for over a decade. "… Oh jeez, your eye thing… uh, wow, I feel really bad. Trust me I had absolutely NO intention of it going that way" the vibrant man tried to Supplicate with a steadying gesture. This did little to quell the grimace that adopted his disciple's features.

With a clench fist Xigbar muttered out "yeah yeah, I ended up losing an eye trying to get yours back. I'm sure it's downright hilarious." Slowly releasing a sigh he regained an amused expression towards his recently released charge. "Seriously, you never change master, no matter if you're a kid or adult." Xigbar then adjusted his grip on No Name, offering it back to the key's creator. "Here, now that you're done scouting, I want you out of the deadeye club."

"Well _fine_ , as if I'm one to overstay my welcome" the hooded figure mockingly retorted with a classic grin. Recollecting his property the figure swiftly cast a spell, desynthesizing the instrument of darkness into nothing but its materials. Pocketing the excess he was left staring at his now human eye, just as sky-blue as its twin."Now children, I want you to look away, daddy needs to do something gross" the figure japed. Taking no head of his advice, the remaining lost masters observed as the former teacher pulled down his hood to reveal a head of brown spiky hair. At last, Sora was nearly home.

With exaggerated effort the former hero remedied his lack of depth perception, giving an audible shiver once his task was complete. "Now then," Sora began as he set his hood back into place, "I hope our dear Luxu got you all caught up, cause I'm not exactly interested in starting class right now." Despite his declaration Ira, the ever faithful student, stepped forward to initiate the new conversation.

"He did master, but I feel like you're still keeping a secret from us" Ira accused. Sora could only be proud of his student's newfound confidence. "Not bad Ira, you've strengthened your heart since the last time we spoke" the grown islander commended. Crossing his arms he then shifted his gaze downward. "Well, you're not wrong I guess, but honestly it's just because I don't like talking about it." Based on the sudden ripples of anger stemming from his students, MoM realized that his explanation was unsatisfactory.

"Fine, it turns out that young Xehanort was right about the power of waking having drawbacks." Setting his arms behind his back he adopted the posture of a mentor, igniting a sense of nostalgia for all of those in attendance. "In order to give someone time to be in the waking world, you have to give up some of your own. Suffice it to say that using all my time on the other guardians of light set me back a ways. Lucky for me I got really good at sleeping, so I learned how to keep my heart moving by take detours through the final world. And that's how I came over to your worldline" Sora gestured to the class, "I just… dreamt my way over."

"Then, why did you need to use the box?" Gula interjected. Seeing an opportunity to re-engage in the conversation, Aced also joined in. "Yeah. If you're supposed to be dreaming or something, wouldn't you just go back to your real body eventually?" This reignited Sora's infectious smile. "Actually that's where Kairi came into the picture. Thanks to her heart's connection to mine I could find my way back." With a sigh he deflated, turning around to make a seat of the box. "The problem is that Xehanort seemingly destroyed her, and my tether with it. The next time I fell asleep I got lost, and I just started popping up all over the place. Well, let's just say I'm worse off than Ventus was."

Xigbar tsked at the mention of the kid's name, having grown tired of running into his face as it throughout the countless centuries. Sora chuckled at the sound of this, having seen those encounters first hand through his errant eye. "Well, to wrap it up, I wanted to see if the box could keep me from wandering off in a dream" he explained with a gentle pat to the lid. "And thanks to our beloved Luxu here I'm the closer to the time of my sleeping body than I've ever been." Master Sora finished by walking over to Xigbar and awkwardly embracing the man. "I know I said this already but congratulations! You did a great job. You even completed my bonus mission! S-ranked all the way!" With a wearied voice the one-eyed student simply replied "yeah, sure thing master" all the while extricating himself from the unreciprocated hold.

Trying not to take offense to his student's clear lack of affection (and failing), Sora turned back to his personal time capsule. "Alright then, time for phase 6-ish" the brown haired schemer declared. The party then observed the man sift through what appeared to be bottomless container, seemingly tuning out the rest of the world. Surprisingly enough it was Invi to lose patience first. "Enough master!" the young woman exclaimed, causing her mentor to bump his head on the box's lid. "Why were we summoned back? Clearly you need our help with something" she stated.

"I was getting to that" Sora responded rubbing his sore head. "(Wow, take a short vacation and the whole house turns against you)." The master dared only to whisper that part, else risk the wrath of his surrogate daughter. In short order he found an old notebook tucked away in the corner of his compartment. Turning to the first page he began sharing his new master plan.

"Alright team, so the dream cycle that I came from should be starting pretty soon. After that I promise that I'm going in blind- no offense Luxu." Xigbar merely rolled his one good eye in response. "What I do remember is that early on in my adventure I met a hooded figure, or should I say, WILL meet a hooded figure." He passed the book over to Ira, knowing that he would desire to scrutinize the text the most of all. "This man in a familiar black coat will introduce himself as the fabled master of masters, and challenge me, who was still Sora, to unlock the secrets of dream-walking. The problem is that I fell asleep before I could make any headway, so all of the research I've done has been done in my sleep, which I will forget all about the moment I wake up."

At this point Ira finished the first few pages of the journal. Once again shocked by his master's depth of detail he looked up from the paragraphs with a sudden epiphany. "Master, could this be-" Sora interrupted Ira midsentence. "Yep, that is my one-of-a kind dream journal!" The black coat exclaimed gesturing to the tome in question. "It contains all the tips and tricks a starry eyed keyblade master could ever want, packaged in the cheapest leather the world of light has to offer."

"Please tell me this is not a trick master" Abed, in what seemed to be the humblest tone of his life, beseeched the wandering instructor. "I promise no more tricks guys" Sora answered with a palm raised in an oath. "This one you get to share, no missing pages, no time-paradoxes, no more excuses." Xigbar and Gula brightened at the mention of these declarations. "Think of it as a graduation present." At this all five students adopted a confused expression.

"Look, what I'm TRYING to say is…" Sora began to rub his head in an attempt to find the right words. "… (*sigh) I need your help again." A mixture of conflicting emotions arose from his audience. The traumas incurred by their last assignments irrevocably scarred the foretellers, one to the point of disappearing without a trace. "Look, nothing I say will make things right" Sora continued. "But the younger me had nothing do with the war. If anything I'm sure he'd start fight me the moment if he learns the truth." Standing up the shadowy figure addressed each of the former union leaders. "Please, watch out for Sora when he wakes up. The rest I collected in the box should keep him going for a while, but it will all be a waste if he can't find Kairi in time. Please help him, and at the very least teach him not to wander off. If nothing else you can get revenge on me by bullying him with assignments. What do you say?"

It took a while for them to respond, but Xigbar was the first to step forward. "Alright boss, I'll babysit you again. Besides, I've just started getting use to the Sora brand of crazy again." The gunman stated with a laugh. Next it was Abed, followed by Ira, Gula and Invi. "I'm going to hold you to offer about bully him master, especially if he's as lazy as you are." Abed stated with a grin. Sora couldn't help but sweat a little at this, but was distracted from his concerns by Gula's affectionate grasp to the shoulder. "Don't worry master, once we find Ava we'll find Kairi before you can even blink" the leopard man added. "Who knows?" Ira asked after grasping the other shoulder. "Maybe we'll turn you into a proper master this time around." Sputtering, the master of masters couldn't contain himself. "What!? Are you saying I was a bad instructor!? That's harsh even for you Ira." This actually got a chuckle out of his students, and the former keyblade hero couldn't help but smile for this.

"Alright guys, I'm counting on you. I know you'll do great." Fishing out the extra materials from No Name, he handed them to Xigbar muttering a spell under his breath. They instantly synthesized into a blade personally designed for the ancient guardian, easing a secret ache that was left in the unsung hero for so long.

Stepping back, the fabled master of masters looked upon his underappreciated family, believing that things will turn out this time. "… May your heart be your guiding key…" And with that phrase Sora disappeared with the box, ready to fulfill one final prophesy. After that, it was only a matter of waking up.


	2. The Rude Awakening

A/N: Due to popular demand, we are back with more MoM adventures. I'd like to thank robertkeller and his series _Kingdom Hearts 4- Quest for the Heart_ on . It inspired me to continue my own rendition of the epilogue, and I highly recommend it to other KH theorists who follow this story. Most of all I want to thank all the commentors across AO3 and for all their feedback, I am proud to be of entertainment to you all.

If you have any feedback for this new chapter, please comment down below. If for whatever reason you hate it or feel that it ruins the previous chapter, please comment down below. If, on the otherhand, you enjoy it and wish for me to build on it, you guessed it, please comment down below. Thank you for your time and consideration, and please enjoy this rude awakening.

* * *

The world of Nowhere was consumed in an oppressive gravity. Caught somewhere between the realms of light and darkness it often fluctuated in nature. So chaotic was the struggle that life could not find purchase, save for one ever-present tree. It was beneath this beacon of hope that the young Sora fell into an eternal sleep. Now, it was the scene of a master's last gambit for rebirth.

Master Sora immediately felt a wave of discomfort upon his arrival. Almost as if they were quarreling children both light and darkness pulled at his very being. If it wasn't for the ages of denying his displacement, he would have quickly faltered in step; Just as he had so long ago. Seizing his box's handle Sora began a labored march across the barren soil. Only now realizing that the weight of the place also affected his luggage, he began to mutter "I feel like I'm getting payed back for saddling Xigbar with this stupid thing. 'Gee Sora, why didn't you get a smaller box to live in?' Well excuse me for wanting-. " His voice continued to fade into the dead world, leaving naught but echoes in the wake.

* * *

Eventually the black coated man stepped into the tree's boundary. Sighing in relief he dropped the box with an audible thunk. "Phew, I thought I'd be use to this kind of thing by now" telling no one in particular. "Oh well, just gotta put on one final schpeel and I'm home free". Popping out his back joint he knelt down to the box, rifling through its contents until finally retrieving a gold pocket watch. Checking the time he was delighted to know that he was early. Content, he chose to sit beneath the tree's canopy, for was only a matter of time till his younger self came stumbling in.

…But as the watch ticked ever further past the appointed time no such boy came into view. Having agonized over the quantum order for millennia Sora had little choice but to feel concerned. "Please tell me you're just broken…" the master pleaded to the inanimate object. "It is not your watch that has fallen out of use, but you dark one". Turning towards the sagely voice Sora nearly cursed in anger.

"I heard that my creator hated me, but this is just ridiculous" the former Master of Masters sighed, now staring daggers into the bodily form of one Yen Sid. "So it would seem" the sorcerer replied in stony countenance. "Yet your capacity of survival remains disappointingly intact". With a flash an arsenal of ultimas bore down on the sorcerer, only to be intercepted by a hastily conjured reflectaga. Summoning back his blades the true master of the keyblade charged his most recent foe.

"What did you do with my body!?" Sora demanded, attempting to cross cut his opponent. "Hidden from you, so that this nonsense can finally be put to an end" Yen Sid replied, forcing both blades into the ground with a pair of gravity spells. Sensing his opponents apparition he took to the air, just as Sora reappeared gripping one of the lodged keyblades. "You're being an idiot Sid, can't you see you're causing a time-paradox!?" With a great yank the Master of Masters caused the ground to erupt in projectiles. The sorcerer managed to cancel their ascent with graviga, but failed to notice the tossed keyblade masked by the debri.

The blade impacted the enchanter square in the chest, yet he managed conjure a firaga just as Sora teleported into place. Both masters were thrown back by the explosion landing shakily on their feet. Using the delay to his advantage Yen Sid dominated the Ultima once used to attack him. Casting curaga the sorcerer Yen Sid finally expounded upon his reasons. " Any variants my interference may cause will only lead to improvements". Raising a keyblade for the first time in decades the sorcerer took a stance against the wanderer. "The keyblade war will have never taken place, and you, a mere paradox, will be replaced by a more… docile, Sora".

The far traveled master knew the truth. The Age of Fairtales always came to an end, regardless of his involvement. But he had neither the time nor influence to convince the zealot of this. Hoping to put a swift end to the conflict he summoned a maelstrom of aeroza. Losing sight of the sorcerer behind a column of wind he took a note from Xehanort's playbook, depositing his entire arsenal into the torrent. Believing the chaos to be sufficiently hazardous Sora conjured one final spell. "omega thunder!" The tornado was engulfed in a literal maze of lightning as the bolts leapt from one keyblade to another. Eventually exhausted of mana the Master of Masters released his hold, leaving nothing but a gentle breeze.

The brown haired wielder was barely surprised by the standing form of Yen Sid. Having encased himself in a dome of stone wizard negated the brunt of the attack. Though some damage carried through, none of it was able to affect his cold countenance. "It seems you never learned to hold back" the sorcerer chastised. Before Sora could rally himself he was knocked prone by a torrent of water, followed by an ice spell that left the islander frozen to the ground. "With or without your vessel, your weakness was bound to prove your undoing."

Sora heard every step of the casual approach like the tramp of doom. To think, after all the millennia of planning, he would be destroyed by the one foe he could not see. Part of him considered letting the awakener's toll take hold, so that he could escape to some random branch of the universe far from here. But the idea of starting over again, having to drift through the endless oceans of eternity all over again… no, he could no longer endure that. Just as Yen Sid arrived, now raising the masterwork weapon in a manner nostalgic of Vanitas, a small corner of Sora's heart couldn't help but wish upon the shooting star flying overhead.

The familiar sensation of radiance rapidly engulfed his senses. At the same time Sora's eyes couldn't help but widen as the celestial object veered towards him. Struck by realization the man couldn't help but to begin laughing. Yen Sid paused in confusion at this apparent bout of insanity. That was until his own senses picked up on a new arrival. The sorcerer tried to turn around, but it was too late to evade the oncoming gummi ship. Swiftly carried off his feet Yen Sid crashed into the ground well beyond the tree's boundary. Suffice it to say, this left ample space for one classic model Highwind to comfortably land.

A pair of brandished keyblade wielders lunged out of the cockpit to defend their fallen ally. "Stay away from Sora!" an auburn-haired girl demanded. With a confidant stance the silver-haired boy warned "we won't hesitate to fight you master". Having sufficiently thawed the Master of Masters wordlessly got to his feet, and upon summoning the modest kingdom key he took his own place at his friends' side. For the first time in forever, Sora was able to stand once more as one of the destiny trio.

Yen Sid knew an impossible situation when he saw it. Letting go of his claim over the ultima he extricated himself from the new impression in the ground. Not once dropping his critical expression he dusted off his robes, attempting of maintain some level of decorum. "Riku, Kairi, you are making a grave mistake aligning yourselves with him" entreated the sorcerer. "The path he leads will only end in darkness".

Unfazed by his declaration the three keyblade champions maintained their positions. Accepting their conviction, Yen Sid closed his eyes and breathed out a sigh of disappointment. "Very well, we shall discuss this matter further after the this threat has been resolved." And with a puff of smoke he disappeared from sight, returning once more to the mysterious tower.

The threat now averted, master Sora sank miserably to his knees. Dispelling their weapons Kairi and Riku began fretting over his injured body. "Tell us where it hurts Sora" the young princess of heart begged. The black coated man only responded by trying to hide his face deeper into the hood. Poorly throwing his voice he tried to disparage such suspicions. " _It's nothing miss, but I've never heard of a Sora. Though I'm sure that you-_ " He was cut off by all encompassing and tearful embraces, instigated by both of his best friends. "Just shut up" Riku pleaded as he dug his face into the man's shoulder. Sora couldn't help but relent to this onslaught of affection, lowering his hood as he reciprocated in earnest.

A few moments later Sora composed himself, and taking Kairi's cheek in hand he searched for any irregularity. "H-how are you hear? I thought Xehanort-" he was cut off yet again by the young woman's touch. "I pieced myself back together, just like you did" Kairi explained with a gentle smile. The supposedly indomitable Master began to openly weep at this point. "I'm so sorry, I was suppose to always protect you" Sora declared pathetically. "We all fell short Sora, no one expected you to handle everything alone" Riku consoled with an affectionate rub to his head.

"Actually," Riku cut in, "why are you dressed like an organization 13 member?" It took a few seconds for Sora to find the right answer. "…Would you believe that I was trying to set a fashion trend?..." Both Riku and Kairi erupted into fits of laughter. Considering how this was his first successful joke in decades, Sora couldn't help but grin in victory.

Sufficiently consoled, the original master ended the embrace. "How did you find me?" he tearfully inquired. Riku responded by pointedly staring at Kairi with a mischievious smirk. She in turn began to blush many hues of crimson. "Well, uh… I was working with master Aqua on meditation and… well… I felt like your heart appeared somewhere, sooo…" Kairi fidgeted in place trying to avoid eye contact with the boys. "…She ran straight to a gummi hangar and stole the first model she saw" Riku continued matter-of-factly. Kairi was almost steaming in embarrassment at this point, crying "I didn't steal it!" Both Sora and Riku fell apart at this point. "What are you talking about? Chip and Dale nearly sent 'the whole darn army' after us!" Riku chastised good-naturedly. The girl began to weakly beat against Riku's chest doing little to stem the tide of laughter.

The former islander wished that this moment could last forever, yet reality was always a bitter teacher. Sobering himself Sora reached into his coat to extract an hourglass. Having spent a considerable amount of energy in his fight, the sands that were left to fall reflectively truncated. Whether he liked it or not, this reunion had to be cut short. "Listen guys," Sora interrupted, "I… can't stay here". This immediately drew the attention of his best friends. Shocked, they couldn't help but fall into fits of denial.

"Sora, what are you talking about? You just came back!" Kairi exclaimed. Sora had to lower his gaze, or risk falling prey to his emotions. "I know, but like it or not the power of waking trapped me. I guess Yen Sid knew that all along, hoping that it'd get me out of the way". To punctuate his explanation Sora began to surrender control of an outstretched hand. As a result the appendage began to flicker in and out of existence. The duo's eyes widen, both quickly realizing what their prodigal friend meant. "I can't belong in the same place for long," Sora continued, "the world order has been tossing me all over the place for a long time now". Regaining control the master stood tall to address loved ones, possibly for the last time.

"The last place I was tossed to was in the past, where I had to do things that Yen Sid didn't like. Now he's trying to stop the original me from going back at all. If that happens… well, let's just say this meeting would never happen. Luckily I can still fix this, but we need to find the current Sora to do it". Taking Riku by the shoulder he shared his new plan. "Riku, I need you to become a dream-eater again. If you can find the original me in the dream world we can track our way back to the body". The silverette was not satisfied with this. Pushing the hand away from his shoulder Riku began to interrogate the man. "What about you!? What if you just disappear again!?" Sora turned away to retrieve the box from under a pile of rubble, never once showing his face. "No problem, this handy-dandy device will keep me in one-place until you get back. Then you just pop open the lid, and I'll be on my way to fix up the timeline, easy peasy".

Dusting off the lid the Master of Masters made a move to open it, only to be intercepted by a young woman's grip. "Sora…" Kairi entreated, "When will you stop carrying the weight of the world by yourself?" Kairi understood the true implication of his plan, for it would mean that she'd lose her Sora all over again. Realizing that his calm façade was quickly breaking the master tried to turn away from the girl. "You don't understand. There has to be someone in the past to ensure there's a future". Making another grab at the lid he was once more thwarted by the auburnette, and his composure finally fell. "I don't have a choice!" Sora cried out, at last addressing his companions with an expression fraught with misery. "I'm the only one that can do it…"

Ever so calmly the princess of light took his face into her hands. "I'm never, losing you, again…" With little resistance she pulled their foreheads together. "We're going to find the missing you, and then we can look for a better solution- together". Sora couldn't help but feel touched, yet the inner voice of cynicism could not be swayed. "I'm sorry Kairi, but how do you expect to keep me from disappearing?" the man questioned with a leveled voice. "The same way you sheltered me" Kairi answered smiling.

Pointing to her chest she made her own case for a solution. "Let me carry you in my heart, that way you can stay with us". The man paused at this, visibly conflicted by this final chance to stave off oblivion. "To be honest Kairi, I've spent so much time making room in my heart that I don't know if it'll fit". Kairi regained a vibrant blush, forcing out "There's always been room for you in my heart, always will be…" Akwardly coughing from the sidelines Riku couldn't help but impose himself into the conversation. "And if- um, for whatever reason there isn't then… well, I'm willing to help share the weight, or something…" The younger keyblade master began to sweat from the implications of his offer, but he trusted his friends to understand what he meant.

"… Alright" Sora finally responded while breaking into his trademark grin. "I'll give it a shot. Just don't complain when I start whistling Zippidy Dooda in your heads". The young islanders finally realized who they were dealing with here, and a surge of trepidation quickly took hold. "Y-you know what?" Riku stuttered out, "maybe I should just trust Kairi with-" "Too late!" Sora gleefully interrupted with a spell of heart transference.

As the dust settled the master of masters was nowhere to be seen. Kairi and Riku nearly felt alarmed, but the extra pulse in their chests quickly alleviated such fears. What surprised them, more so in Riku's case, was the lack of oppression it involved. Where Xehanort made a point of dominating his hosts, Sora seemed content with being a mere passenger. Their train of thought was interrupted by a male voice mimicking radio feedback. "Bzzz, testing, this is radio M.O.M., coming to you live from the best friends ever, waiting for you to respond over". Rather than feel irritated at the man's antics they felt relieved, for this was a clear a sign that the Sora they knew and loved was still alive and well. "10-4 good buddy, glad to have you aboard" Riku mocked with a radio voice of his own.

"Alright, so boring stuff out of the way. I'm technically inside Kairi's heart; but because I love hanging out with you so darn much I also linked myself to yours Riku. That way we can all keep track of each other". The hitchhiking Sora now drew their attention to the miraculously unharmed tree. "This little spruce is called ygdrasil, it has roots that connect across all the world lines. Since I'll be relying on you two for moving around, you'll be the ones to use it once we can track the younger me". He then shifted attention towards the gummi ship. "In the mean time, we should have ourselves a slumber party inside the ship. I should be able to manifest myself in the dream world to help you guys further. Any questions?"

Sora took their immediate approach towards the gangplank as a response. "That's the spirit!" Locking the bulkhead behind them the two champions (plus one half-pint) entered the realm of sleep. With luck, this would be the last journey needed to set things right.

* * *

The hooded master of masters observed the three teenagers from the skyscraper's roof. Each of them dashed through the city streets looking for one another, yet they were all blind to dimensional barriers that separated them. True to his word master Sora maintained the link between his former friends, but it was far too soon for its full utilization. So he was content with watching the three guardians of light shape a new history for him, under his subtle influence of course.

"Well don't I have some good news for you!" cried a new intruder. "I found Kairi! Though the search was _so_ difficult. After-all, it took us whole 3 minutes. Really was basically a lifetime when you think about it".

"Ha ha~, laugh it up Luxu. Your master sucks at finding people, tell me something I didn't know!" the wanderer exasperated to the sniper. Having won his little power play Xigbar joined his master at the ledge. Accustom to Sora's habits at this point, the golden-eyed figure quickly caught on to the new strategy taking place. "And here I thought you finished playing games." The former islander scoffed at this. "And give up on the fun? Never! Besides," reaching back into his coat he produced the hourglass once more. "Thanks to princess down there, I have plenty of time to play with". As quick as a flash the master crushed the offending object between his hands, letting the once precious grains fall to the city streets below.

"Not going to lie boss," commented Xigbar, "I don't think the others will be happy that you're up to your old tricks". Sora crossed his arms behind his back at this. "Honestly Luxu, your old student Sid took the choice out of my hands". Turning away from his observations the master of masters gazed into the night sky. Levelly, the black-hooded man shared his most recent theory. "I think someone stumbled their way into an awakener's curse. Intentionally or not, their fooling around is messing up the world line we've set up." Addressing his overworked student, the master of masters assigned one last assignment.

"Make your way to nowhere, I left the box near to the doorway so it should be easy to find. After that, help the others reach this place, I'll need the kids put through their paces as soon as possible. In the meantime, I want you to keep an eye out for our newest interloper, trap them in the box if you have to". Xigbar responded with a heavy sigh, muttering to himself how tired he was of solo missions. "Well mister sassy pants" mocked Sora, "if you're going to be that way, just put your old goat mask on and switch out with Invi. I'm sure the old codger's sweat has washed out by now". "As if!" cringed Xigbar, "… (*sigh) fine, I'll take the job. Just let me bring along a few of the others". Sora shrugged at this, "Sure, whatever floats your boat bud".

The master waved his baby sitter off, returning to his study of the heavens. The man once known as Luxu considered leaving at this point, but the opportunity to maintain a tactical lead was far too precious to ignore. "So what are you going to do while I handle all the work? Laze about as usual?" Sora feigned offense at this. "Oh Luxu, I would _never._ Besides, I have a full plate with encouraging our fresh-faced hero to embrace his destiny". Raising his hands to frame the moon he continued hinting at his intentions. "After-all, the kingdom won't build itself…" He then altered his simple window, shaping it into the form of a heart.


	3. The Difficult Lessons

The young wielder of the keyblade was unaccustomed to being alone. Usually he met a fresh face or two within an hour of reaching a new world. Yet this time he was completely alone, and in what seemed to be a functioning city no less. Indeed, the young champion Sora was at a complete and utter loss. Now that he thought about it, he couldn't even remember how he got here.

"'Talk about a creepy place right?' I know, I thought the exact same thing when I first got here." Just entering a park, the islander saw an unwelcomed sight. A black-coated man, clearly a member of his sworn enemies, was casually lounging on a bench. "Another one!? When will guys learn to give it up?" the boy demanded as he brandished his keyblade. "Easy there twinkle-toes," the master placated, "I'm not one of the Norts. I'm just a stranger in a dark park looking for a teenage boy… _wait, that didn't come out right…_ "

Sora was thrown off by the man's antics, but his suspicions would not be swayed. "Oh yeah, then prove it" challenged the spiky haired boy. Trying to make a show of it the mysterious figure drummed his fingers in a sign of contemplation. "… Alright, if you insist". Reaching for the hem of his hood he flashily revealed his face (honestly he rehearsed this moment for a while). The master was not disappointed by his younger self's response, for the boy immediately entered a state of existential crisis. "W-what... What's going on!?" The young Sora belted. Privately congratulating himself, the master of master successfully blew his own (younger) mind.

"Believe me; words do not do this story justice". Reaching slowly into his coat the older Sora then retrieved a drawing pad. "That's why I used pictures". With a flick of the wrist he tossed the book over to his younger self, grinning at the ensuing display. Though crudely drawn, the crayon portraits conveyed decades of experience (interrupted every so often by unflattering caricatures of Yen Sid). It only took Sora a few moments to finish the story, deeming it more than sufficient to convince him. "Okay, I think I get it". Delighted, the master of masters clasped his hands together. "Great! I knew that I knew myself!" Rising from the bench master Sora wordlessly collected the sketch-book. "That means we can skip straight to training." "Wait what-." Before the boy could finish, his older counterpart whistled to some unseen figure.

Like a meteor, a bear masked goliath crashed into the pavement right next to them. Sufficiently surprised by the super hero landing both of the Soras were thrown off their feet. Realizing his blunder the fabled master of masters tried to recollect himself as casually as possible. "(*cough) Nice… enthusiasm there Aced". The student in question could barely hold in his snickering at this point. Sora thought about chastising his behavior, but decided it was best to let it go.

"Alright then, guess I'll leave you to it." Adopting his usual posture the former islander walked further into the park. Having just overcome his shock the younger Sora began to look frantically between the adult figures. "Wait, you're just leaving me here with him!?" the boy cried. "Sorry, got other classes to start. You two have fun now!" Without even turning around the mischievous schemer seemingly faded from view.

Now abandoned by his adult counterpart Sora turned to his newest mentor. If the wicked grin was any indicator, he knew he was in trouble. "Welcome to union Ursus squirt, it's REALLY nice to meet you". Summoning his keyblade Aced contemplated all the different ways he could break in his newest punching bag. "We in the union value strength and commitment, which we make sure sticks with all of our applicants". Reaching a hand down he lifted the islander back onto his feet, making sure to nudge them apart into a wide combat stance. "The first thing we need to do is start with warm-ups, followed by a few (hundred) pushups, you're going to love it!" Sora almost deflated in despair, but quickly refocused just as overhead slash forced the hero to roll away. Ignoring the newly fashioned crater, Sora stood ready for whatever came next. "Now then, let's work on your evasion abilities." As Aced charged forward in another attack, Sora couldn't help but wonder why his life kept leading him into these situations.

* * *

"Remind me again Sora… why are we taking lessons now?" Riku's irritation at having his mission delayed was palpable. His initial instinct about searching the arcades may have been off. But since he did stumble across the master of masters playing with a claw machine, at least he wasn't entirely wrong… "Look Riku, I'm flattered that you want to save me as soon as possible, but I've got to make sure you're prepared for what's up ahead". Failing to win a stuffed moogle the man groaned in frustration. "Besides," he continued while inserting another token, "I'm getting my top boy-scout to teach you, it's perfect".

Appearing from behind a Pachinko machine Ira couldn't help but enter the conversation. "Honestly master I do not feel comfortable being mocked like that". Master Sora merely waved him off. "Bah, I meant it as a compliment Ira, you know that". Giving a whoop in victory the older man collected his plush prize. Handing it off to Riku, who could only reply in confused gratitude, he turned to fully address the two. "Now Riku, I want you to trust Ira. He's one of my best students. Not to mention an excellent teacher in his own right. He'll know exactly how to further your path of mastery". Turning fully to Ira he mouthed 'I'm counting on you', which the foreteller replied with a nod.

With everything settled, master Sora exited the building, disappearing just around the corner. Wordlessly the other keyblade masters took the backdoor leading into a spacious alleyway. Taking stock of his surroundings, Ira felt it adequate to begin the lesson here. "So, master has told me that you are a practitioner of darkness". Riku slowly nodded, but he felt a strong need to defend himself. "Sir, I've made my choice, one that I believe in with all my heart-". Ira raised a hand to quell the inevitable argument.

"I understand Riku," placated the ancient master, "though I do not agree with you, I still understand". This had an immediate effect on easing Riku's tension, thus drawing a smile on both masters' faces. "My purpose here is to strengthen you against other light wielders". Summoning a chalkboard into existence Ira began to draw diagrams of the interplay between dark and light wielders. "The opponent we will inevitably face is a staunch purist of radiant magic, an art that you have rarely fought against before". Drawing to mind his battles against Sora and Roxas, Riku couldn't help but dwell on the defeats he faced from both.

Summoning his keyblade the former leader of the Unicornis union encouraged his newest pupil into a fighting stance. "What is important to remember when facing the onslaught of light wielders is their simplicity. When faced against foes of immense power and resources they will expect over confidence, such as the overuse of large-scale attacks that leave plenty of openings. That is why they will find difficulty when facing another patient fighter. Do you understand?" Riku barely deliberated before nodding in confirmation. In turn his new instructor smiled in approval, starting to believe that his own teacher was right to assign him here. "Very good, now, show me what you have already learned". As both parties charged with perfect forms, Riku held little intention of masking his newfound thrill.

* * *

Kairi always made a habit of finding the perfect view. Thus it came as no surprise to Sora that the final student could be found at the Ferris-wheel. Catching the eye of the perched princess he was greeted with a bombastic wave. 'I was wondering when you'd show up!' rang the girl's telepathic voice. Signing back an apology the keyblade master began scaling the structure (for what reason, no one in attendance would know). With a little help from Kairi the master safely made his way into the car.

"(*phew), thanks for the assist Kairi." In turn she shook her head with a smile, "Don't mention it Sora". What followed was an amicable silence. Being honest with himself, Sora never believed that he'd see this day come. So he was content with basking in the moment, doing nothing more than slouching in his seat while watching the sun rise. And if the lull in his connection was anything to go by, his partner was more than content doing the exact same thing.

As with all good things in his life Sora knew that it had to come to an end. "So, no luck finding our sleeping beauty from up here, huh?" In response Kairi mocked a contemplative scowl. "Hmm, well I wouldn't exactly say that~" the girl played out. "I mean, I did catch a peek of some old guy who looked a lot like him~…" Sora tsked at this, "oh please, I'm not that old… at least Riku's taste in music still outdates me". Kairi couldn't help but laugh along at the joke, though the comedians could sense a growing irritation from the third branch of the connection (which did little more than fuel the proverbial fire).

After mellowing out Sora finally addressed the reason he came here. "Listen Kairi, I want to help you find more training". The princess nodded in understanding. "I know that…" he tried to continue, but his friends pained expression was stopping him in his tracks. "Look," he began while rubbing his neck in discomfort. "I'm not saying that you're incapable of fighting-." "I want you to train me Sora". Interrupted by a determined auburnette the master of masters was, for what seemed to be the first time in his professional life, dumbfounded. "…Well, I had a master in mind that would be more than happy to-. " He was interrupted yet again by the young woman, now sporting the most serious glare in her life. "No Sora, I need you to teach me how to fight, no one else". It took little to crack Sora's resolve at this point, after all, he owed his hero this much.

"… Okay, I'll help you fight my way. Just don't go expecting me to go easy on you". Kairi would have it no other way, but before she could say as much he already grasped her shoulder and teleported them to the ground. While the girl tried to regain her bearings her instructor adopted a professional tone. "Now the first thing I need to teach you is avoiding abduction". Forcefully he took her by the dominant hand, almost surprising the girl with his aggression. "Xehanort thought that you are nothing but a damsel, someone that could be dragged around like a harmless pet". Kairi began to shake in anxiety from memories of helplessness, but was shaken out of it by the earnest gaze of her best friend. "You will learn just how fatal of a mistake that was".

Raising his arm in the opposite direction Sora began to build energy throughout its length, storing it up until finally releasing it with a concussive blast. "This is a stun impact; unlike spells it does not require a weapon to channel it. That way you can cast off any opponent no matter how strong of a grip they have on you". Pointing to her chest he continued his explanation. "Just build up energy in your core, and when you feel like you've reached the limit, exhale everything at once". Without waiting for further directions she impatiently gave it her all, failing to warn her mentor before blasting him clear across the road. At first she felt elated, having never taken to a technique so naturally before. But then the reality that was a Sora-shaped hole in the wall finally set in.

"Sora!" making her way over to the stunned master she began to extricate him from his confinement. "I am so sorry, I didn't mean to be so aggressive, I was just so excited about learning how to defend myself". Instead of being scolded she was pleasantly surprised to hear pure and unadulterated laughter. "Man, I haven't been that BLOWN AWAY in forever! I knew you'd be a natural!" Making the rest of the effort to free himself Sora wore a grin that only the hero could manage.

Kneeling down to her level he summoned a starlight keyblade, offering it handle first in practiced ceremony. "From this moment on I recognize you as my student. Entrusted upon you is the key to the realms and all the responsibilities therein. Never will the journey of discovery be closed to you, for the heart shall overcome any boundary. Stay true to your dream, and this blade shall never waver. Will you accept?" Kairi agreed without a second thought as she took hold of the offered key. "Then by the power of the keyblade," the master declared as he relinquished control of the weapon, "I welcome you apprentice foreteller, may your stewardship of the future be ever blessed".

* * *

Luxu always imagined that tricking his master would be his greatest achievement, but it turned out to be his gravest mistake. He knew exactly who was causing the paradoxes, and he was taking the trip to Midgar only to confirm that. Hopefully he could always call In Invi for back-up if everything went sideways. Exiting the corridor of darkness Xigbar scanned the lonely hovel deep in the lower city. He hoped its inconspicuous nature would provide adequate sanctuary. Though based on its ransacked state, it seemed that it wasn't hidden enough.

Before he could approach the structure he was nearly impaled by a mob of illusions. Dropping below their spears he summoned his keyblade, sweep their legs out from under them. Just as they began to dissolve he was forced to block an attack from a nearly invisible figure. "Well it's nice to see you too Ava, not the warm welcome I was expecting though".

Clearly having lost the element of surprise the woman dropped her illusion. Although arrayed in civilian clothes the former master still maintained her union's keyblade. Disengaging she leapt backwards, already channeling her next attack. "How dare you show your face to me!" Ava screamed. Flicking her blade she summoned the specters of the Fox-Trot attack ordering them to charge her opponent. With pinpoint reflexes the sniper countered and riposted each of their thrusts in a fluid dervish.

Letting the light particles fade Xibar took a moment breath heavily. "I took the risk of freeing you from under Ansem's nose, kept you safe until Kingdom Hearts awoke your memories, and even kept your whereabouts a secret from everyone else, yet this is the thanks I get?" He received his answer when his sixth sense picked up on the real Ava sneaking up behind him. Lifting his blade in the nick of time he barely blocked against a lethal keyblade strike.

"You betrayed me Luxu, you and the master both!" Before the illusionist could disengage again Xigbar elbowed her in the forehead. Stunned, she was unceremoniously tossed into the abandoned household. The man leapt in after her, but his quarry had already disappeared.

"I thought that you were my family" proclaimed a disembodied voice, "I trusted both of you to protect us, but instead you wanted to be the bad guy all along". The sniper was visibly unnerved by the accusation. "As if this is on me! He told you to stay out of the battle, but you let your union fight anyway!" Changing his keyblade into a pair of handguns he began shooting all around him. "It's a wonder there were any dandelions left! You were the traitor, not me!"

When the dust settled the house was practically erased from existence. In his haste he forgot to account for the basement, thus he was caught off guard when one angry illusionist burst through the floor. Unable to avoid her slash he fell hard to his knees, nursing a deep and crippling cut. Ava proceeded by holding her blade to his chin. "The Master already decided that fate for me. If anyone is to blame it's him".

Allowing Xigbar to nudge the blade aside side she honorably waited for her opponent to return to his feet. "So, I guess there's no way I can convince you..." admitted the sniper. Taking a step back he brandished his keyblade into a combative stance. "Fine, I was hoping to get a rematch with you anyway". And just like that the masters charged toward each other in one final duel.

...

The battle was fierce, both sides fought tooth and nail to carry the day. But at the end of the barrage of phantoms and gunfire it was Ava who remained standing. "Tell me," she asked her exhausted opponent, "why did you keep me a secret?" Xigbar to his credit managed a pained chuckle. "Hah... honestly? I was hoping you found a normal life. Start fresh, put all of this keyblade madness behind, you know? Letting you have that was the least I could do". Ava finally let loose a genuine smile after hearing this. "I appreciate it Luxu, but I have to set things right. If we stop Sora from ever interfering we could live like a family, all six of us".

The former Luxu could only frown in response; opting to fix his one good eye on the woman he once called sister. "Once a traitor, always a traitor..." With Ava's heartbroken expression lingering in his mind he summoned a current of darkness, carrying himself far away from the source of his misery.

When he next awoke he was laying beneath the Yggdrasil tree. Pulling out a hand mirror he traced runes across the surface. With a spell in place he sent his gravest message yet. "Hey Invi, I'm going to need you to return to base. It's about Ava ..."

* * *

A/N: I want to give special thanks to Blackpackager on for pointing out my canonical fumble. Honestly I feel far more confident with this draft than the previous one. Please be sure to point out any mistakes I make in the future, for my mind is nothing compared to the greater fan base. As always, thank you for your time and consideration.


	4. Call of Adventure

"… So Lu, what have we learned?" Luxu refused to dignify his master with a response. Normally the former dark seeker would summon a dark corridor, escaping all the way to the edge of the universe if necessary. But for now he was trapped in the gummi-ship's med bay, forced to endure his master's unbearably smug attitude. True it seemed different when it was conveyed through Kairi's voice, but the irritation it induced was potent all the same. _"… Come on, tell me what we learned"_ the master continued to mock. Finally having enough of his antics, Xigbar gave a grunt of frustration before turning fully on his side. "I did what I felt was right!" the sniper belted out. "Besides, wasn't it you who kept preaching about 'following your heart' or something!?"

Although he was in a borrowed body, Sora's laughter still had a way of carrying through. "(*chuckle), relax Luxu, I get it" the puppeteer placated. "It's just that I could have used a heads up. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm the LAST person to complain about keeping secrets. But come on!"

As much as the sniper hated to admit it, his master was right. Both of them gave everything to orchestrate the best possible future. True most of the sacrifices were on Luxu's part (such as permanently losing an eye, dying a few times and constantly blowing out his back when lifting the box). But all in all it had its fun points, after all, who else could claim to be immortal.

Grunting, Xigbar returned to lying on his back. "... (*sigh), sorry ". His master's smile somehow grew even wider at this. "Eh, it's fine" explained Sora, "I would have done the same thing myself!"… The cycloptic man swore to make his father pay. Before he could berate the master for japing him he was cut off by an affectionate pat to the shoulder. "Don't worry Luxu," Sora continued, "I'm always on your side ". This caused the son's heart softened just enough to relent, so Xigbar settles back into bed without protest.

"... How do want to handle this boss" the sniper asked. Sora's grin suddenly fell, letting the weight of the impossible situation set in. Rising from his seat he approached the window with heavy steps. "Honestly Luxu? I almost don't." Even without seeing the future the first master knew that sacrifices had to be made. There were loved ones on both sides of the conflict now, with no room to parley in-between. In some secret corner of his heart he wished for this world-line to be perfect. But now, with a daughter whose heart has been irrevocably broken, it was no longer an option.

All the same, Master Sora needed to endure with what he had left. One way or another, he had to see this game through to the end. "...It's time to send the kids out". Xigbar leveled his master with an incredulous glance. "Thought you wanted to finish the training?" Sora shook his head, "We don't have the luxury, not if Ava's getting involved. It's only a matter of time before she realizes what we're really after. If that happens… who knows what she'll do…" Turning back to his injured pupil he brightened back up. "Besides, I know for a fact that any Sora worth his stock trains best on the road".

Glad to see his master in top form the former number two regained his cocky smirk. "Heh, alright boss, I've been itching to stretch my legs anyway." Turning of his machine Xigbar began to extricate himself from bed. "So, need someone to run interference on bookworm?" He was surprised when his master's immediate reaction was pushing him back down. "Not this time Lu," Sora eased, "I'll need you on the bench for a bit".

A quick clash of egos ensued as son and father argued over the need for bed rest. It concluded only when Sora used his deceptively potent Kairi muscles to strap the man down like a Frankenstein's monster. "Don't you worry your sweet skunk looking locks son" mocked the victorious keyblade master. "Once you're back at full strength you should break out these cuffs in no time~." Were it not for the gag occupying his mouth Xigbar would have dignified his mentor with a slew of curses by now.

"Just so you don't get bored, I made sure to download ALL my Classic Kingdom games onto this handy-dandy gewmi-tablet." Almost out of thin air he produced what had to be the most garish off-brand product known to man. "That way you can work on beating my high scores... though it's prone to crashing…" The former foreteller's eye widened, knowing full well that his master has delivered a personal hell on a silver platter. With little thought Sora haphazardly tossed the cursed device onto the sick bed. "Anyway have fun!" Ignoring the muffled protestation the prankster made his exit, leaving Xigbar to wallow in a gamer's worst nightmare.

* * *

Invi paced across the campgrounds in concern. She had no idea how severe her brother's injuries would be. If not for the medical bay she might have easily lost another comrade. Now all she could do is wait, praying to avoid a new reason for trauma. An hour passed before master exited the Gummi-ship. Taking smile as a sign of good news Invi allowed herself to relax. "How is he master?" Turning to his student the master gave a nod of positivity. "Good," she continued, "that's very good…"

After a brief pause the master of masters summoned a folded black coat. "Here Invi, you're going to need this." The woman's demeanor immediately dropped. She began to protest and pushed the article vehemently away. "What do you mean master?" She questioned, "I'm a warrior of light? Why would I ever need a vestment of darkness!?" Her volume continued to rise at her master's implicated gesture, for the idea of traveling in darkness frightened her terribly.

The master was afraid she'd respond this way. Deciding that trying to play it off (such as being affronted by her criticism of his fashion) was a poor move he gave it straight. "I need your help Vi, with Luxu out of commission I need someone to keep an eye on the waking world. We both know the corridors are the fastest way around, but you'll need this to protect you". Trying once more to offer the vestments he was again denied. "I won't do it!" exclaimed the typically quite girl, "I'm not a part of the darkness, and I never will be!"

Her master had almost forgotten how he found her. When he was still a young man he found Invi in an alleyway. Despite her aptitude for all fields of magic a local gang demanded those that masked her presence. They used her to steal and spy for them, and since she was an orphan at the time, the "viper of low town" had nowhere else to turn.

Sora was the first to see through her camouflage, which came as a great shock to the little thief when he caught her wrist just as she touched his wallet. Instead of being angry about the potential theft the man was ecstatic, for he was apparently looking for skilled youths to become his students. After helping her sever her ties with the gang the silly man officially adopted her into his growing family. He promised to guide her abilities towards service of the light, and to twist them back to evil.

Out of all his students, Invi was the most afraid of the darkness seizing her heart.

Sighing, Master Sora set the black coat to the side. "… Once upon a time," he started, "there was a boy from a land far away. He was one of the strongest people in his town; no one could beat him at any game. But more than that he had a kind heart, and although he would rarely show it, he loved his friends more than anything." The woman slowly lost tension as the story continued, falling back into the same little girl who needed to be read bedtime stories after a nightmare.

Taking her evening breaths as a positive sign, Sora continued. "One day he lost track of his friends just before nightfall, and believing himself to be brave and strong, he decided to look for them even after darkness set in. Sadly, he underestimated how difficult it would be to see without light. By the time it was midnight he was completely lost, and his friends had already found their way home on their own. Oblivious to this he kept wandering, believing that what he was looking for was still out there". Invi was now fully invested in the tale, having long since forgotten her source of anger. "…What happened?" she asked. "… His friends went after him" Sora stated with a smirk. "They didn't give up until the light of their lamps guided the boy straight to them. Finally reunited they made their way home, just in time to watch the sun rise together."

Invi's fears had been fully assuaged now, and she would not suppress her rare and wonderful smile. "What's the lesson papa?" She caught onto her verbal slip immediately, having thought she abandoned such endearment ages ago. Before she could take it back her father affectionately grasped her hands in gratitude. Now, after having received the brunt of Sora's heartwarming smile, she decided to live in the moment. "The lesson, my angel, is that anyone can lose their way in the darkness. But if you have friends to help you, you'll always have a way to return to the light." With his message finally taking hold he pointed to the center of the woman's chest. "No matter where you go, we'll always be right here in your heart, ready to guide you back from any danger." Pondering her options, Invi decided to put her faith in her mentor, one last time. "Okay, I'll try". Reaching behind her head, master Sora brought their foreheads together in endearment. "I know you'll do great" he finished with a smile.

As the last vestments of the serpentine master faded into the corridor of darkness Sora laid his borrowed vessel to sleep. He knew that the sleeping worlds would pose a challenge for the destiny trio, especially if their former allies try to get in the way. Still, if there was anything he could rely on in childhood, it was the tenacity of his friends and loved ones. On the other hand, such strength could also prove to be his undoing. If any of the champions of light discovered the truth of the sleeping worlds; the very root of the world lines may very-well cease to exist.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, at Disney Castle…_

"Gawrsh fellas, it sure is a purdy day!" Goofy exclaimed with a hyuck. It had been weeks since Sora disappeared on his quest, and the Disney trio was starting to get worried sick. Hoping to alleviate their concerns Goofy suggested going on a fishing trip. Mickey was quick to agree, realizing that he hadn't spent quality time with his buddies in ages. Donald, knowing the shenanigans these trips can cause, was much slower to accept. But after a short pep talk he was sporting a rod and pail with gusto.

"You can say that again goof" the king chimed in from ahead. "I betcha there's entire schools of fish just waiting to be caught!" Donald nodded in agreement; imagining all the praise he'll receive after reeling in the big catch. Goofy, having spent more than enough time with Donald to predict his ego, chuckled as the duck's daydreams floated overhead.

Before they could near the lake they heard barking from the path behind them. Turning around they were greeted by the bounding form of Pluto. "What is it boy!?" Mickey called out. Seeing a letter stuck in his collar the king spurred his canine with a whistle, catching the full brunt of his pet's momentum as he leapt into his arms. After a round of petting and praises his majesty successfully retrieved the message, quickly recognizing the seal to be master Yen Sid's.

All three heroes tried to read the contents at the same time, but they found the task to be impossible (the space was getting too crowded thanks to Goofy's need to bend over). Instead, Mickey volunteered to read the message out loud. "Ahem, your majesty King Mickey, I write to inform you that…" The king found that words escaped him as he finished skimming the first sentence, shocked by the dire message it conveyed.

The silence was getting too much for Donald and Goofy. The magician was the first to break the stillness with his warbled voice. "Well, what does it say?" asked the duck. Breaking out of his stupor Mickey finally addressed his friends. "… Gosh fellas, I think Riku and Kairi are in danger."

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the delay, I was on a bit of spring vacation to Disney world. As you can imagine I was _totally_ busy with researching while I was there… definitely not spending all my time goofing around… yeeep…

From this point on Sora, Riku and Kairi would be in the heart of KH4 or subsequent. Very much akin to DDD they would be exploring the sleeping worlds in shifts, having the foretellers as companions as they begin to delve into the truth of things. For the sake of finishing this fic in a reasonable amount of time I will only sample from their highlights (possibly coming back to expand on the worlds in a separate story). Instead I will try to focus on our beloved MoM and his shenanigans with friends new and old. (He's to me what the seven dwarves were to Walt, a big ol' audience magnet).

As always I would love to hear any feedback in the comments, and I look forward to sharing the adventure ahead. I promise, I still have a few more surprises in-store.


	5. The Sleeping City

… Aced was beginning to understand why Sora grows up to become the master. Three hours have passed since they began training, but the boy had yet to take a break. The ursine man threw everything at him: laps, pushups, boulder punching, you name it. Yet no matter what was thrown in front of him, Sora would surpass the challenge raring for more. Aced considered assigning challenges that were beyond even him, hoping to at least touch upon Sora's limits, but the chance of being surpassed was far too daunting a risk.

At the moment, the duo was performing handstand-pushups on the edge of an office building. The park they were previously at suffered… collateral damage, in their previous spar. Thus the exercises had to be performed on the move while searching for a new place to spar. "So (*grunt), see any good spots (*grunt)?" Sora questioned between huffs. "(*grunt), Hmm (*grunt), nothing yet squirt (*grunt)" replied the goliath. "We still need to find (*grunt) a place with grass (*grunt)".

Finishing his reps Sora flipped back onto his feet. "Come on Aced! I keep telling you we can use the concrete". "And I keep telling YOU!" The bear-like master exclaimed as he finished his own set, "You're going to need the cushioning when I finally drop you". Sora merely shook his head with a grin, contending himself with sitting on the edge of the building.

After a short pause, Sora admitted "You know, I've gotta thank you Aced". The man in question was thrown off guard. Taking his own seat on the edge he had a better angle on Sora's features, nostalgic of his own master's when he was deep in thought. "I've never been taught by a keyblade master before" Sora continued. "Honestly I've been kind of winging it for the most part. So THIS… it's been pretty nice". Aced, not accustom to being shown gratitude for his strenuous curriculum, felt a bit flustered by the praise. "… _I'm enjoying myself too…"_ Although the goliath tried to mutter the sentence under his breath, the hero easily caught onto it (initiating what could only be described as an ear-splitting grin).

They were both thrown out of their revelry by an explosion from the street below. Like magic, mechanized war machines popped out of thin air all over the city. The group that caused the explosion was already engaged in combat with a solitary figure, sparing no attention towards the keyblade wielders above. "Where'd they come from!" exclaimed the islander. Aced, having read the journal from front to cover, knew exactly what this all meant.

The master of masters described this world to be in its death throes. At this point of time most of the living populace had already been taken by the era's "darkness", which took the form of a rogue AI. The last remnants of resistance included a magic wielding prince named Yozora and his attendants, so it was a safe bet to assume the warrior below was one of them. However, the journal made it clear that their quest wouldn't lead them here until weeks into the future. Either his anally retentive master somehow lost track of details, or (more likely) the sleeping world shifted them into the future. Either way, this was a clear sign that training was now over.

"Honestly squirt I'm not completely sure myself. But I AM sure that it's time you flew the nest". Sora tried to question Aced's comment, but all further thought was abandoned when the master unceremoniously shoved him off the building. "I'll take care of the robots north of here!" the brute called after him, "You handle the south!" Sora, far too focused on screaming, failed to reply.

Out of instinct the hero activated his flowmotion, converting his momentum into a devastating drop attack. The one thought he could formulate, just as he was literally dropped into the middle of a melee, was how he would torment the man when HE became HIS student (continuing a back and forth of sadistic curriculums literally millennia in the making).

* * *

Upon defeating that initial wave of robots he met Yozora. The prince had apparently become separated from his allies, but trusted that he could reunite with them further into the city. Being the hero he was Sora, offered to accompany him, which the wearied prince grudgingly agreed to. Together they made their way to the heart of the city, yet all the while, Sora couldn't shake the sense that he'd seen the lost prince before…

"So your majesty, any idea how we can beat these guys?" Sora asked as an ominous tower came into view. Yozora, hoping to maintain a modicum of stealth, shushed the boisterous islander. "We just need to get into that control hub" Yozora answered in a low voice, "from there I can override the beacon and deactivate all the Nuhi at once". Sora still had difficulty understanding "computer talk", but he trusted Yozora to know what he was doing. Catching himself before speaking out loud, the islander opted to affirm using a thumbs-up and a knowing wink. Unimpressed, Yozora merely rolled his eyes and ushered his savior onward.

As they approached the looming monolith a metallic shriek rang out into the night. Dozens of whirring tentacles erupted from the pavement in a blinding shower of debris, forcing the two heroes to desperately cover their eyes. When the dust settled a war-machine the size of a city block, mounted with enough ballistics to level a mountain, obstructed the final stretch to the objective. If past trends were anything to go by, Sora recognized this to be the world's final boss.

"(*tsk), no good!" Yozora exclaimed, "We have to pull back". Before the prince could retreat the flash of a keyblade caught his peripheral vision. Sporting a wide grin Sora dropped into his signature stance, practically drooling at the chance for experience. Never losing his fervor, the islander declared "What'cha talking about! We can take him!" Before the prince could argue a tentacle shot towards them, only to be deflected by Sora's blade with inhuman ease. Eyes widened, Yozora whispered "maybe we can…" Finally taken by his ally's apparent madness he summoned his own sword and pistol. "Alright, lead the way!"

Mustering their energy the two warriors charged towards the behemoth in their own fashions. Sora, flowmotioning along tentacles and buildings, systematically severed the appendages at their weak points. At the same time Yozora, using his teleportation, provided aerial support against errant artillery fire. In almost no time at all the monstrosity was crippled, and with a combined blow the prince and the traveler bisected the main body. The behemoth, a class of war machine Yozora thought impossible to face head on, was completely eradicated.

"(*heavy breathing) I can't believe it… it's gone!" a visibly elated Yozora cheered. Sporting a grin Sora spun his weapon onto his shoulder, declaring "yep, nothing to it". Before they could celebrate a shrill alarm rang out into the night. At the call, hundreds of robots began to converge on their position in a last bid for defense. "Go!" Sora commanded, "I'll distract them. You turn this thing off." A flash of hesitation crossed the prince's feature, but his sense of duty quickly won out. Mustering the full span of his authority he commanded "Don't you dare die on me!" before rushing into the building. As the doors shut behind him, the champion leapt recklessly into the oncoming swarm, ready for yet another battle against ridiculous odds.

… But he was not alone.

Just as he became engrossed in the melee he heard combatants enter the fray from either side. The machines on his right were torn asunder as a valor formed auburnette spun through their ranks. Those on the left seemingly froze as a silverette charged right past, buckling as the effects of zantetsuken took effect. As their familiar voices grew the closer Sora couldn't help but cry out in surprise. "Riku! Kairi!"

"Hey Sora, long time no see." Riku greeted with an eagerly reciprocated fist bump. Not wanting to be left out Kairi gave their lost friend a brief half embrace. Sora tried to launch into a million questions, but was silenced by the princess of heart. "We can catch up later," she stated, "but right now we've got some bad guys to beat". The spiky-haired islander nodded; excited to do his part in what he would later call "his dream team".

* * *

After five minutes of the onslaught Yozora carried through on his end. Without a signal Nuhi war machines fell into heaps on the ground, cluttering the already debris laden streets. "So, how many did you get?" Sora asked his friends through heavy breaths. "250" Riku replied without pause, "you?" Sora deflated in defeat, muttering out a measly "236". Already accustom to the boys' competitions, Kairi was quick to dismiss her weapons in favor of comforting her beau. "Don't worry Sora; we'll have plenty of chances to beat Riku later".

Brought out of his funk the keyblade hero realized that they had a new contender to account for. "Now that I think of it, how many did you get Kairi?" asked a reasonably curious Sora. Not having kept count, the young woman started silently assessing her side of the battlefield (going so far as to start counting on her fingers). "Hmmm, I think it was… 190ish? Give or take?" The news shocked both Riku and Sora, never imagining that their best friend could get so close to their numbers this early on. "Whoa! Kairi that's amazing!" Sora exclaimed. "When did you get so strong!?" For her part Kairi began to blush, barely restraining a growing ego at her role model's praise. "I'm not that great, I just learned a lot from yo- my master" she answered evasively. Her deflection only served to feed the curiosity of her boys. "Come on Kairi, who taught you?" asked Riku, feeling the need to enter the fray. Sora chimed in "Yeah, you can tell us". Both began to playfully chant "Tell us! Tell us!" until the princes finally broke away to escape the pestering.

Before the trio could engage in a full blown chase, a cough called their attention to the building entrance. Yozora, only slightly battered from a battle inside, smirked victoriously. "So, seems like heroes are popping up everywhere" Yozora lightly teased, "not that I'm going to complain". Sora gave a double-take remembering his manners. "Oh right! (*clearing his throat), your highness, these are my friends Kairi and Riku". The prince merely chuckled out an "at ease" before greeting the new arrivals. "I suppose I have you two to thank for aiding this 'valiant knight'." This earned him a pair of chuckles, yet Sora didn't seem to find the humor in his statement. "In that case" the prince continued, "you all have my full gratitude. I couldn't have gotten this far without your help".

Sora suddenly paled. "Your majesty, were you able to find-." The islander was cut off by a sobered shake of denial. The erstwhile hero deflated, and sensing the atmosphere his friends frowned in concern. Yozora shook off the funk, stating "don't worry, I know in my heart that they're alright. We'll find each other soon enough". This succeeded in cheering the boy up, who quickly permeated with his typical air of confidence.

"Here," Yozora rummaged a laurel circlet out of his pockets. "It was my father's; it should be safer with you." Growing visibly uncomfortable Sora hesitantly admitted "I can't take this" as he tried to push the crown away. This denial caused the prince to uncharacteristically laugh in response. "Hey, don't think I'm actually letting you keep this!" he chuckled good naturedly. "I'm just asking you to guard it until I reclaim my kingdom. So please, think of it as the king's order."

Tentatively the islander accepted the precious regalia. "I-" before Sora could finish the item suddenly erupted with radiance. Forced to shut his eyes he felt the world around him fade away, just as it had when he found a key item months ago (Kingdom Hearts II). Low and behold, the view that greeted him was the very same pocket dimension, and Yozora's circlet contented with floating in front of him. Out of instinct he summoned his keyblade to unseal the item. As the beam struck alien power surged into him, and everything faded to white.

Returning to himself, the islander was greeted by the gob-smacked expressions of his companions. Faring no better he stared back down at the treasure in his hands, finding it to be back to normal. "… On second thought maybe I should hold onto this" Yozora stated, gingerly retrieving the circlet as if it would induce a second lightshow at any moment. Breaking out of his stupor, Riku was the first to voice the question on everyone's mind. "… What just happened?" The world around the three wielders suddenly froze. "That, my good man," a familiar voice called from behind them, "was our first step out of here".

Turning in unison Sora Riku and Kairi were greeted by one master of masters, casually sipping tea in front of a miraculously untouched cafe. "Sorry for cutting the prince out of the conversation by the way; you know, 'world order' and everything." Sora, having lost tolerance for riddles long ago, stomped angrily towards his older clone. "What are you even talking about!" demanded the boy. His tone failed to intimidate the man, who continued to content himself with stirring his drink. "Simple kid," nonchalantly the master rose from his seat with cup in hand, "you three have a scavenger hunt ahead of you".

Kairi was the first to voice her frustration. "That can't be true! We already found Sora like you instructed us to! You promised that it would be enough to find his body!"

Master Sora hoped to avoid blatantly lying to his friends on this journey, he truly did. But with the very origin of the world-lines now at stake, he was forced to make an exception. "Here's the thing," the master began, "that tether I thought would lead us to his sleeping body? Turns out little Yenny muddled it up pretty bad". Finished stirring the tea he used his spoon to point at his younger self. "So, we need to boost our intrepid hero with the power of monarchs. More specifically, we need seven crowns from seven kingdoms." Placing his silverware back he took another sip. "After that, granting your wish will be a piece of cake."

Sora and Riku, both accustom to errant quests at this point, could only sigh in exasperation. Defeated, Riku muttered "where do we start?" Master Sora grinned in delight at this. Placing his cup back on the table he exclaimed "Happy you asked! Actually I've already set up your travel arrangements!" "Wait, wha-" the younger Sora cut off by his older version snapping his fingers and disapparated the three to the final world. Content with the exchange, the master of masters released his spell and made his own exit.

Prince Yozora had no recollection of the past few minutes. Thus it came as a shock when he awoke to find that his new friends seemingly popped out of existence. Hoping to preserve his sanity, the fledgling monarch chose to chalk it up to "summoner magic", and decided to finish his business in Tokyo before any further insanity shows up.

* * *

A/N: Yep… that's the extent I'm going to address Yozora.

I hope you enjoy this universe, with luck I can at least share my theory about the dandelions before Nomura's canon blasts it apart. As always let me know what you think in the comments below. I'm simply dying to know who will be the first to crack my mystery.

(Side Note: If by some miracle my theory about Yen Sid is correct, I could totally see JustAPancake parodying his antagonism to stem from constantly getting interrupted by Sora.)


	6. Of Knights and Kings

The concept of dream dropping was never meant to be taken literally, or at least that's what Sora and Riku once believed. But after falling through the near infinite expanse of the final world, the assumption was sufficiently crushed. So long was the trios fall in fact that the sudden appearance of a thatch roof seemed more of a mercy than anything else.

The landing was ungraceful to say the least. Kairi, unaccustomed to falling from such great heights, outright face-planted on the floor. Sora, despite his experience, felt his legs buckle as he attempted to land on his feet, thus falling hard on his back instead. Even Riku with his airs of cool was not exempt, for his "superhero landing" rewarded naught but a pair of sprained knees. If the roof wasn't there to break the fall, the consequences could have been grave indeed.

"Ah and here are my other guests!" an elderly voice called out. "Although…" he retrieved a pocket watch from his robes, "They are quiet early…"

Sora was the first to regain his bearings. Looking around he realized that they apparently crashed in on a wizard and boy in the middle of tea time (though based on the hole above the young guest, such modes of entry was common). Focusing on their incidental host Sora had a double take in recognition. "Merlin!?" The islander exclaimed out loud. The declaration immediately drew his friends' attention. And lo and behold, they had once again made acquaintance with the one and only Merlin the wizard.

"Very good! So we have already met!" the spell-weaver cheered. "In that case introductions may be truncated." Pulling out his wand he nearly started into a spell before catching himself. "…Do tell me, have you already made acquaintance with the boy then?" The island trio looked between each other before shaking their heads. "… Oh well, there will be plenty of time for such pleasantries on the road."

Before the three could voice their questions Merlin began his moving ritual. At first they were enchanted by the magical display, but when chaos began to break loose they were sufficiently overwhelmed. Sora was nearly carried off by a mob of books, Riku took a chemistry set to the face, and Kairi relived one of her stranger phobias when the bed tried to bull-rush her. Eventually everything was stowed away into the handbag, leaving the room bare save the five occupants and a previously overlooked owl.

"Wow! What a way to pack!" exclaimed the blonde boy. Sora, Riku and Kairi, sufficiently winded by their experience, could only nod in agreement.

"Yes, yes. But don't think that magic will solve all your problems!" the wizard actively lectured the boy, "Because it won't! And that goes for you three!" he finished with an off-handed gesture to the islanders.

Catching her breath, Kairi watched as wizard began to exit the cottage. "Wait! Mister Merlin!" Catching her earlier mentor's attention she was finally able to scratch the surface of this mystery. "Where are you going?"

"Why, we are departing to the holdings of sir Hector. After-all, we must begin our lessons as soon as possible!" Merlin finished with a flourish. Unsatisfied, Kairi started in on one question after another (what lessons, where are we, etc.). The wizard for his part was glad to have such an inquisitive student, and enthusiastically answered to the best of his abilities.

While their friend was learning the lay of the land Sora and Riku were keeping their newest acquaintance company.

"Hi, my name's Sora, he's Riku, and the girl ahead of us is Kairi" the spiky-haired hero happily greeted. "So what's your name?"

The boy tried to respond, but the owl flew over and beat him to the punch. "Ha! Foreigners all the way from Nihongo? _A likely story!"_ the bird snarked dubiously. "What's next!? Space aliens!?"

The blond pushed past the owl. "Don't mind him; he just seems a bit cranky". The owl huffed, deigning that perching on Merlin's hat was a far better use of his time. "That was Archimedes, and my name is-" Arthur caught himself before divulging his true name. "… You can call me Ward. (Though most people tend to call me wart)" he reluctantly finished under his breath.

"Well it's nice to meet you" the islander returned extending his hand for a handshake. Arthur, who was unaccustomed to such candor, tentatively accepted the offered appendage. The blonde was surprised to find that the ensuing handshake was rather pleasant, and eagerly accepted Riku's gesture when it was subsequently offered.

"Have you known Merlin for long?" the silverette asked casually.

Arthur adopted a pensive expression as he stared towards the mysterious old man. "Actually no, I only just met him a few minutes ago". Returning his attention to his companions he visibly brightened. "He seems pretty strange, but I kind of like him. Apparently he wants to teach me something called 'science', I think it's some sort of magic".

Riku and Sora, having grown up in a modern era, held themselves back from correcting him.

"Whatever it is, I hope it helps me to become a knight someday. That way I don't have to work for Sir Hector and Kay for the rest of my life." Sora immediately latched onto the word "knight", and Riku knew that his friend had found a new obsession for the day.

"Wait, there are knights here!? That's so cool!" the hero crowed.

Temporarily caught off guard by his new friend's exuberance Arthur tried to keep apace. "… Well, yes, we have knights all over Britannia." Inspiration struck Arthur suddenly. "Say, why don't we both become knights! I'm sure my brother wouldn't mind taking on two squires when he takes his rank!" The idea excited Sora to no end, and if past experience had taught Riku anything, he would be riding this idea for days to come…

* * *

The reception they received was not as warm as they expected. Hector, unenthusiastic about managing the upkeep of four strangers from out of the blue, wanted to throw the lot out. But after some persuasion (thanks mostly to Merlin's magic) he agreed to host the islanders so long as they helped with chores. They were glad to at least avoid sharing the "guest quarters" with Merlin, finding the straw piles in Arthur's room far more inviting (not to mention safer).

The day after their arrival they encountered their first nightmares of the journey. Hector and Kay, outmatched by the dark invaders, begrudgingly asked for the keyblade wielders' assistance. Glad to return to what they actually enjoyed the destiny trio eagerly leapt into the fray. It was while they busied themselves with "cleanup duties", as Sora affectionately called it, that a certain founding master paid his old colleague a visit.

"Ah, _Marvin_! It's been forever my good man!" Master Sora called out as he ascended the crumbling staircase.

Merlin, smoking on his pipe as he watched the battles below, leveled a weary glance towards the comedian. "Now don't you start on this dreaded 'Marvin' business too!" the wizard exclaimed. "It's bad enough that I'm not afforded proper respect from the lord of this keep. I don't need any of your japes either."

"Whatever you say… _Marvin._ "

The verbal jab caused the wizard to officially snap. Knowing full well of the consequences Merlin began to stomp heavily on the tower stairwell, causing the weak foundations to buckle dangerously.

"Wa-wait, stop! I'm sorry Merlin, I won't bring that up again!" The keyblade wielder begged.

"Hmph, that's better." Relenting from his assault Merlin waited for the shaking to stop. Deeming it safe enough, the wizard poofed his guest the rest of the way up, greeting the traumatized teacher as if nothing had happened. "Well, what say we have a spot of tea?" Master Sora, having just been reminded the consequences of upsetting wizards, wordlessly took his seat at the table. As Merlin's tea set instinctively arranged themselves around the table a certain avian visitor made his appearance.

"And just who is this miscreant? Another so and so claiming a name from the east?" Archimedes droned out from his perch.

Forgetting all about his earlier trepidation, Sora brightened at seeing the jaded familiar. "Archimedes! It's been forever!" Ignoring the phantasmal creature's protests the master of masters scooped him down like a child would a cookie jar.

"Le-let go of me you raving lunatic! Just who do you think you are-?!" Archimedes stopped upon seeing the face beneath his aggressor's hood. "Bah! Another Sora!? I should have known such crackpot wizardry was afoot." Wriggling free of the exuberant master's grip he flew as far as he could from the pair of eccentrics.

"Ah don't be that way buddy!" Sora called after him. Sadly the owl had already made his escape through the window. Once upon a time when the wanderer traveled to this land alone he made a point of getting Archimedes to warm up to him, and had he the luxury of time, he would gladly take up that challenge again.

Merlin allowed his guest time to stare out the window before regaining his attention. "… Now if you are quite finished harassing my familiar, may I please interest you with a drink before it gets cold?" The adult Sora had to chuckle at his own immodesty, finally returning to his seat to accept his steaming cup of earl grey. "Unless I am mistaken, you informed me that there would only be one traveler coming to visit" Merlin stated casually. "Yet it seems that he travels with company, all of which seem to have already acquainted themselves with me".

Master Sora apologized while watching the spoon stir his drink for him. "Sorry about that, we ran into a bit of interference on the way. You remember the sorcerer that I mentioned? Turns out someone taught him how to go off script". Seeing that his tea was prepared to his preference he thanked the silverware before motioning it towards its siblings. "So now I have to adapt as best as I can, and letting the two others tag along might just get me the rest of the way." He took a sip, vocalizing his appreciation at the taste. "I hope you don't mind the extra guests during your classes".

"Not at all my good man!" the wizard exclaimed. "I'm always appreciative of those searching for higher education!" His demeanor suddenly soured. "But don't expect me to teach them to be warriors or some such nonsense. I am and always will be a man of academics; I have no interest in the ways of warfare and barbarism".

"My dear Merlin I would never!" the master feigned insult. "Whoever requests such a curriculum of you will have clearly lost their mind". Sora tried his best to mask his jab at a certain inactive sorcerer, but the poorly contained grin gave it away.

Merlin, deciding to not prod further into his guest's affairs, allowed the matter to rest. Soon an amiable silence fell over the two men, neither willing to ignore the significance of this reprieve. Such peace did not last long however, for tower they sat within began to buckle once more as a nightmare was launched clean through the lower level.

"Confounded war-mongers! Do they have no respect for the consequences of their rough-housing!?" the scholar cried as he vainly attempted to keep his towers of books from toppling. His guest launched himself across the room, saving only a handful of gadgets from falling to the floor. When the tremors finally ceased very little of the ground remained unburied.

It was sufficient to say that tea-time had officially ended.

"Speaking of our hooligan charges, shall I expect the other two to join Arthur for royal lessons as well?" The wizard questioned as he began to restack his volumes.

The keyblade founder didn't even give it a thought before shaking his head. "No, only Sora will be joining you for that…" Taking his cue he started to magically repair the splintered doohickeys. Merlin sensed that this was one conversation his friend didn't wish to expound upon. Thus they both busied themselves with the recovery without another word.

Once the room was fully restored the pair of instructors bid each other farewell. Long after the master of masters departed Merlin started to muse sadly from his armchair. With an exaggerated puff of his pipe he conjured the image of the young Sora celebrating with his friends. "My dear boy, just what fate hounds you so?"

* * *

Time passed, and the day came when Hector took everyone to London for the tourneys. As per usual nightmares appeared at the most inopportune time to interrupt the events. Fortunately the keyblade heroes proved adept in slaying the dark beasts, earning the praise of all the attending knights. So grateful were the competitors that they even offered Riku and Sora a place at the tournament. Catching onto the clear exemption of Kairi, Sora couldn't help but demand to know why. The knights laughed him off, deeming that "the idea of a lady knight" was utterly ridiculous. The islander could not believe his ears at such injustice, thus he sprinted away before his anger could manifest. Riku and Kairi tried to stop him, but they quickly lost sight of the boy as he passed into the labrynthian alleyways of London town.

Sora finally came to rest in a churchyard not far away. Relieved to be apparently alone he began to vent his frustrations. Reclining against what seemed to be a cultural art piece, the keyblade champion took his measured breaths in peace.

"Guess you're not a fan of this world's order".

The boy was caught off guard by a familiar voice from above. Looking up he was greeted to the sight of Xigbar leering from his anvil perch. "Then again, it's not like you can do anything about it" the Cyclops continued.

The boy scrambled to his feet as he summoned his keyblade. Without a word he swung his weapon with all his might, only for it to be easily caught by the man in black.

"Sorry kid, I'm going to be following you around till the end of your days" Xigbar stated with his typical candor. Sora tried to wrench his weapon free of his grip, but found it to be mysteriously unresponsive. "Guess it's just one of the laws of the world," he continued, "Like how you'll never save everyone, or how your little girlfriend will never be anything more than a gimmick, and of course…" With a solid backhand the antagonist knocked the hero off his feet. "How the keyblade will eventually abandon you for someone better".

Gathering his wits the islander pushed himself off the ground, yet floundered when he realized that he no longer held his blade. "What did you-" Sora stopped dead in his tracks at the scene before him. Xigbar stood cocksure, idly swinging the kingdom key with an irritatingly smug expression. "Hey! Give that back!" The boy vainly attempted to summon his weapon back, only to find that it no longer responded to his call.

"Nah, I think I'll hold onto it" the sniper smugly proclaimed. "Seems to like me better anyway".

Darkness began to seep through Sora's skin as his rage began to take hold. Gritting his teeth he forced out another demand. "I said give that back!" The boy made a lung for the keyblade, but Xigbar casually sidestepped the attempt.

The deadeye began to lightly scold the boy with a wag of his finger. "Careful now, you don't want that darkness to stain that pretty record of yours" he egged on. "That's not the _heroic_ thing to do after all".

Sora's rage form finally bubbled to the surface. With barely a thought he grasped the monument's protruding sword handle, fully prepared to uproot the stone itself if it meant brandishing a weapon.

"GIVE IT BACK!"

With all his might Sora tugged the sword free of the anvil. The clouds parted, and a ray of light baptized the dark form with holy power. The purification was instant and painless, leaving the boy gob smacked as his anger was sapped away with the accompaniment of an angelic choir.

When the miracle finally faded the cleansed hero was left with yet another surprise. Xigbar, rather than sporting his smug grin, bore a genuine smile of what could only be described as pride. The deadeye wordlessly gestured towards the blade's base, for there was a golden inscription that the islander had previously overlooked. It read:

 _Whoso pulleth_

 _out this sword of_

 _this stone and anvil_

 _is rightwise King_

 _born of England._

This was the final straw for Sora. Thousands of questions trampled their way through his mind. He had never even heard of this world until a short time ago, yet he was supposedly destined to be its king? Besides, he was only joking about the idea of being king when he visited the Pride Lands. He knew better than anyone that he would make a terrible ruler. It was all far too overwhelming for a lost teenager to handle.

The man known as Xigbar could only chuckle at his future master's distress. He knew that he was technically breaking the rules by pulling this hare-brained scheme, but the boy's expression was absolutely priceless. Feeling like he had enough fun he wordlessly traded the sacred sword for the keyblade.

"Sorry little prince, but your turn with the throne won't be for a little while". Sliding the sword back to its place he literally snapped at the boy to gain his attention. "Here," reaching forward he magically tugged a keychain out of Sora's heart. "Think of it as a souvenir."

Taking the item in hand the hero immediately recognized it to be a direct replica of his crown necklace. Wasting no time he attached the accessory to his keyblade, letting it adopt a new form just as it had countless times before. As the weapon settled he was surprised to find that the design was shockingly similar to the base model. If anything, it seemed as if the kingdom key merely matured.

Instead of a blunt pole, a razor sharp sword blade took its place. The gold and silver metals that made up its materials seemed to gleam with new luster. And the guard was engraved with the faces of all his closest friends, finished off by an ornate signature of his name. Only one name came to mind when looking at the sword, _King's Key._

Truly, this was the weapon signifying his growth, and Sora couldn't help but feel slightly frightened at the idea.

Finished with his inspection the islander leveled his gaze forward, hoping to pry even the slightest of an explanation from his uninvited guest. However, having been so engrossed in his new weapon, he failed to realize that Xigbar already took his leave. Thus he was alone once more, tormented by questions far exceeded his capacity.

He was broken out of his state by the rapidly approaching voices of Arthur and Archimedes. Assuming that they were looking for him he removed the keychain and retreated from the churchyard. Sora knew that running from his problems would solve nothing, but he couldn't face any further headache. 'Maybe spending time by the water will help…' the hero muttered to himself as he squeezed through a particularly narrow alley.

* * *

 _Later…_

It took most of the day, but Riku and Kairi finally tracked their friend to London Bridge. They found Sora moping on the ledge, rubbing what seemed to be a silver object between his fingers. Oblivious to the proceedings in the church-yard they assumed that he was still upset by the competitors.

"Jeez Sora, we've been looking everywhere for you!" Riku exclaimed with a friendly smile. "Come on, there might still be time to kick those knights' butts in the competition!"

Silverette's words failed to reach their often exuberant friend, for he was clearly lost in thought. Realizing just how deep of a funk he was in, Sora's friends seemingly shared a conversation with their eyes before silently coming to the same conclusion. Taking their place on either side they joined the keyblade hero on the ledge, hoping that their presence would be enough to comfort the boy.

"… Hey guys?" Sora suddenly asked, "If you had the chance to change the world for the better, even when you don't feel comfortable doing it, would you?"

Riku and Kairi genuinely mulled over the question for a little while.

"Hmmm, honestly, there was a time I would've said yes" Riku stated frankly. "But ever since I was freed from my darkness… I've learned just how important following my heart truly is."

Kairi also nodded in agreement. "The way I see it," she contributed, "I can never be led astray if I'm with my friends. And since you and Riku are a part of my heart, I can always trust it to steer me the right way".

Sora's infectious cheer began to return as the words sank in. He had almost forgotten the most important lesson there is, that friendship is the answer to everything. Perking up he readopted his classic smile and drew his friends into an awkward embrace.

"Thank you guys, I really needed that" the boy admitted in a weak voice. Kairi and Riku were eager to return the gesture as best they could. Releasing them Sora wiped away an errant tear as he revealed the crown keychain. "Here, I want you to keep this safe for me". He placed the item in Riku's hand, who stored the treasure away without question.

"Say, why can't I hold onto it?" Kairi feigned insult.

"Because I know that you'll want to play with it, just like everything else I let you borrow!" Sora replied with a joking lilt.

What ensued was a playful argument between all three islanders as each brought forth one embarrassing memory after another. When dusk at finally arrived they were all spent from their laughing fits and moved onto the winter-time games they never had a chance of experiencing in their youth. Suffice it to say, Sora's horrible day had quickly developed into one of his bests, a day that he wouldn't trade for the world.

Before they could engage in their third snowball fight a messenger arrived for them. Apparently the recently crowned king had summoned them to the palace post-haste. Even they knew that England was supposedly without a leader at this point, so they all agreed to put their match on hold to sate their curiosity. He would never admit it out loud, but this doubly so in the case of Sora, for he was now directly linked to this world's monarchy whether he liked it or not.

* * *

Of all the people they expected to be this "King Arthur" that everyone was cheering for, their friend Ward was certainly one of the lowest on their lists. Yet there he sat, arrayed in finery far too large for the boy with Merlin confidently standing at his side. Much to Sora's surprise the sword in the stone also answered to his friend, and that was actually enough to convince every one of his royal right. Seeing his own reflection in the uncomfortable king, the islander couldn't help but empathize.

"… So, your name is actually Arthur?" Sora asked attempting to break the tension. Everyone in the room face-palmed at the question.

"Really? That's what you took from this?" exasperated Riku. His friend merely shrugged in reply, leading the dawn-seeker to roll his eyes before letting the matter rest.

"To be honest, I don't really feel like a king." Arthur admitted nervously, "So I wouldn't mind if you kept calling me Ward".

"Nonsense my boy!" Merlin suddenly interjected. "If you are not recognized as king by those closest to you, how do you expect to believe it of yourself?" Arthur, ever the accepting student, merely nodded in reply.

Sora felt that this was the opportune time to seek insight into his own situation. After all, Arthur was clearly just as reluctant to take the throne as he was, yet somehow Merlin convinced the young king to give it a chance. At the very least he could claim that his question was for Arthur's benefit.

"Um, mister Merlin?" the islander forced out. "How does someone know if they're meant to be king?" A knowing look crossed the aged scholar's expression. He made a show of stroking his beard in contemplation to play along.

"In my experience, it is often times the ones that do not hunger for power that are the most deserving of it. That way it will rarely be used recklessly and always when it is truly necessary". The wizard affectionately grasped Arthur's shoulder. "That is why my boy is meant to be king, for heaven knows that his humility will grant him wisdom and empathy. These are the traits that every good king should aspire to. After all, those that are greatest among us are those who are in the service of others".

This message struck a chord in the hero, and ever so slightly his anxiety began to wane. Riku and Kairi immediately picked up on his change of demeanor and mouthed a quick "thank you" to the sage. The wizard could not help but inflate his ego at the successful lecture.

"Actually, that gives me an idea" Arthur declared suddenly. "From this day forward I decree that a knight shall be measured by their chivalry, not by their birth or status". Judging by the slightly confused expression of his three guests he realized that the message may have gone over their heads. "What I mean is I want all three of you to become knights, including you Kairi."

The destiny trio lit up in excitement and began talking over each other trying to thank the young king. "So I guess that's a yes then" Arthur chuckled out. "In that case can you please kneel?" Drawing his sacred sword he approached his eager supplicants, tapping each on the shoulder with the flat of his blade. "In the name of heaven and its saints I give you the right to bear arms and the power to meet out justice, do you accept?" The answer was a unanimous yes. "Then rise, Sir Riku, Sir Sora and Dame Kairi, knights of the realm!" The keyblade wielders began to cheer amongst themselves, drawing a smile from the blonde monarch. Turning to his mentor the king asked "How did I do?" doing his best to mask his hopeful tone.

The wizard, for what seemed like the first time in centuries, shed tears of pride at the scene before him. "My king, I can think of no one who could have performed any better." Overcome by the praise the once and future king ran to the elderly man for an embrace, which the wizard was all too eager to reciprocate.

Still riding the high of becoming a knight Sora suddenly recalled the original mission. "Pardon me your majesty, but can we see your crown for a moment?"

"Sure!" Arthur replied as he took off the over-sized headpiece, "I was planning on having it replace anyway".

The keyblade hero was prepared for the flash of light upon touching the regalia. Just like countless times before he pointed his key towards the glowing object and shot a beam of light, claiming the font of power as his own. Arthur, who had been through more miracles in the past few hours than anyone experiences in a lifetime, wordlessly went along for the ride.

"So, does this mean you have to leave?" the boy king asked.

Sora nodded, "Yep, we still have a few more lands to explore".

"But don't worry," Kairi interjected with a hearty salute, "we'll be back to serve the kingdom as soon as possible!"

Everyone began to laugh as the girl engrossed herself into the role. Calming themselves down the three knights approached their kingly friend for a friendly handshake, a gesture that the blond had come to love.

"Take care of yourselves, and know that you'll always have a place at my table" Arthur finished with a bow (doing his best to keep his regalia from falling off).

Letting the magic take hold the trio was carried off to the Final World for the next leg in their adventure. But just as the king and wizard faded from sight they faintly overheard a conversation about _table shapes_ of all things. The islander's decided to jot it down as just another peculiar custom.

* * *

A/N: Aaand done! Sorry about the length of the chapter, but my inner author just kept demanding more content. I hope you enjoyed, the Sword in the Stone was the first world that came to mind when I started this fic a couple months ago. If you have any thoughts please share them in the comments down below.

Also, for those of you with artistic inclinations, feel free to doodle any of the keyblades that result from these worlds. Aside from the King's Key we have two unlocks that I left unmentioned (Tokyo's "Arcanum Machina" and England's "Knight Errant"). As always I hope you've had fun reading my story. Next time, we reach the indisposable (chapter) #7.

Addendum: I'm an idiot. Hector called Merlin _Marvin_ in the movie, not Marlin.


	7. The Tides of Change

Prepared for the drop, the destiny trio safely landed on the sunny beach of Motunui. Having grown up on islands for most of their lives the teenagers were enjoying the familiar settings. That was until a cool breeze induced a collective shiver from group. Looking down they realized that (as a result of world order magic) their clothing had transformed into Polynesian garments.

"Um, guys? Since when have we had tattoos?" Riku questioned his equally distraught friends.

On closer inspection all three islanders had intricately woven tattoos on their person. Oblivious to their meanings the three islanders could only take them at face value. And for a momma's boy like Sora, who had spent his entire life being threatened against the ink his entire life, his mural only spelt doom to the hero.

"Nooo!" the spiky-haired boy lamented, "Mom's going to kill me if she ever finds out!"

"D-don't worry," Kairi interjected, trying her best to assuage her own fear of her foster father finding out, "T-they'll go away once we move on from this world. I-I mean, none of your other transformations stuck, r-right?"

Sora meekly nodded as he tried to put on a brave face. "Y-yeah, I guess you're right…" he forced out. "…L-let's find this crown alright?"

Watching his two friends shuffle away trying to non-chalontly cover their inks, Riku couldn't help but release an amused sigh at their expense. Although he lost any interest in his parents' opinions years ago he found it oddly satisfying to watch his best friends place the weight of entire worlds on theirs. Thus, for the sake of maintaining the peace, he dared not dream of admitting just how cool he thought their designs actually were.

* * *

 _Meanwhile…_

The Disney trio zipped through space like never before. If the notice was as grave as Yen Sid's letter indicated then there was no time to waste. Besides, any clues to Sora's whereabouts took immediate priority in the trios book.

Following a magic trail provided by Yen Sid's letter they quickly found the Mysterious Tower nestled in a cosmic cloud. Landing the gummi ship in its usual spot the king was surprised to see six familiar figures waiting for them.

"Fellas, look!" Mickey called back to his co-pilots, "it's Aqua's and Roxas' gangs!"

"I wonder what they're doing here?" Donald replied enthusiastically.

Goofy was already opening the hatch as he answered "probably for the same reason as us!"

Exiting the ship the trio immediately engaged in greetings with their recently rescued friends. Ventus and Xion were eager to hug the King and retainers in greeting. Roxas, Terra and Axel, not as openly affectionate, contented themselves with handshakes and fist bumps. Aqua, however, tried to restrain a grimace as the mouse approached her.

"Hiya master Aqua!" Mickey greeted with an outstretched hand.

The keyblade master, to her credit, forced a smile as she gingerly shook the gloved hand.

"So, how are things at your school?!"

"... They are, uh, good, your majesty…" Aqua replied as she fidgeted in place.

"… Are Terra and Ven taking care of themselves?"

"Yep, they are… also good…"

…

…

The conversation was quickly becoming awkward. The king thought Aqua had already forgiven him for losing her for nearly two years, but apparently this was not the case. Rather than wallow in this uncomfortable silence, Aqua decided to move onto greeting Donald and Goofy. Mickey, accepting that amending their relationship would have to wait, wordlessly marched towards the tower doors.

Pushing open the oaken barrier king Mickey motioned to his friends behind him. "Come on fellas! No time to lose!" he called in his ever chipper voice. At the announcement all nine heroes began passing into the sorcerer's tower, failing to notice a dark surface zip its way across the ground as it tailed Ventus' familiar presence.

* * *

From his high window Yen Sid watched as the last of his guests pass out of sight. The sorcerer knew that calling upon Sora's friends was a risk. Much like Riku and Kairi they were all liable to fall sway to the master of masters. But if he had any hope of countering his foe's nine, he would have to rally the same number to match it.

"Are you sure you sure you can trust them?" a voice called from the corner of the chambers.

"… We no longer have a choice" the spell caster replied after a pause. "The interloper has already reclaimed too much of his presence in reality. Violence alone will not curb his power-lust".

Like a congealing mist Ava formed herself behind the sorcerer. "So you hope to use Sora's heart against him?" the woman continued.

"Indeed" taking a seat in his chair the sorcerer began to scan through his copy of _the Book of Prophecies_. "These entries have proven time and again that Sora is at his weakest when bereft of certainty. Only his friends will have the power to allow you the time needed."

Taking a seat across from him Ava began to rub her temples. "(*sigh) I just don't know Yen, my former master has always found a way to get into people's heads. I don't see how this time is any different".

"Do not be troubled my lady. After all, your bequeathment of this tome upon me has led us far" comforted the sorcerer with a smile. "Besides, those that have carried your faith in the past have already begun finding their way out of the darkness. It is only a matter of time before the rest follow".

"… I suppose you're right".

Ava was still dubious of Yen Sid's scheme. Yet she was eased by the knowledge that her own wish was bearing tangible fruit. Therefore the illusionist did not see the harm in playing this weighted gambit; at least, until the time came to reap the proverbial harvest. A knocking at the door tore her from her revelry.

"Enter" commanded the master of the tower.

Filing into the study the remaining guardians of light took immediate notice of Ava. Having never met the keyblade mistress they turned expectantly towards the sorcerer for introduction. All save Ventus, whose gaze did not waver from the woman as nostalgia started to take hold.

"Recognizer her Chirithy?" the blond muttered into the ether.

"No," the dream eater replied from concealment, "the only person I know that looks like her died ages ago"

"Everyone, I would like you to meet mistress A." Yen Sid interrupted. "She is an old friend of mine who has insight into this new threat".

The ensemble politely bowed in greeting to their newest acquaintance. However Ventus remained slow to join, still transfixed as pieces of his memory fell into place. Aqua was quick to pick up on her friend's distracted state. Following his line of sight she was surprised to mystery woman reciprocate his gaze with a knowing smile.

"Master Yen Sid" Mickey spoke up, garnering the attention of everyone in the room. "Is what you said in your message true? That a new organization has popped up to cause trouble?"

"I'm afraid so your majesty" the sorcerer relied solemnly, "It would appear that darkness has once again arisen to threaten the worlds. Already they have fooled young Kairi and master Riku into their clutches, for they have used the promise of finding Sora to bait them." Based on the concerned expressions of his audience Yen Sid knew that he was already reaching them. "Fortunately they do not posses young Sora, for I have successfully spirited him away before their leader could reach him".

The nine champions grew excited at the news.

"That's great master!" Terra responded immediately. "Where is he now?!"

"I'm afraid I cannot tell you at this time, for dark magic has once again incapacitated the poor boy before I could retrieve him." Just as quickly, his audience fell into a mixture of shock and despair. "I assure you, Sora is in a safe location at this time, and his trance will be addressed once the threat has been thwarted." The room fell into an uncomfortable silence as the sorcerer's audience was consumed by inner turmoil.

"… I don't think that's right" Ventus finally declared shocking his audience, "I know better than anyone that hiding away from everyone will never solve anything. The only way to help our friends… is being there to guide them through their problems. That's what Sora taught me." The boy's lecture began to embolden the other guardians, and they all started nodding to one another in agreement. Yen Sid took this to be a sign that he was losing them.

"We cannot take that risk Ventus" Yen Sid lectured sternly. "To reveal Sora's location out loud will compromise his safety. For the enemy we now face is a master of spies and deception. Nowhere is safe from his intrusion". Slowly the sorcerer began to focus intensely on Ventus much to everyone's confusion. "… Not even in this very room".

Before anyone could react the spell weaver launched an orb of light towards the blond. Aqua, whose reflexes have been honed by countless surprise attacks, was able to pull her young friend away just as the spell struck the dark spot on the floor. Driven out by the ensuing blast, a black coated figure was launched out of concealment and crashed into the wall with an audible thunk.

Everyone in the room froze in place, watching the surprise intruder slide limply to the floor. Terra, caught inches away from striking Yen Sid for his apparent betrayal, banished his weapon as the reality of the situation finally sank in.

"H-how… did y-you…?" Invi sputtered out between coughs.

"Ventus was separated from his darkness many a year ago" the wizened figure explained with an unfazed expression. "Your presence contrasted with his like a blot on canvas". Ignoring the shouts of protests around him, the sorcerer magically levitated the stunned woman and flung her out his window.

* * *

The world seemed to crawl to a snail's pace as Invi fell from the tower. Dazed by head trauma the woman could barely maintain consciousness, let alone formulate a plan to save herself. One feeling did break through the haze of her mind: betrayal. She knew that Ava had apparently severed ties with the foretellers, yet nothing could prepare her for the vixen's inaction. Even till the last vestiges of her sister faded from view, not once could she detect the slightest hint of shame from her. At best, Ava displayed annoyance towards her treatment.

Soon, only the night sky greeted her vision. It was strange, but the view actually brought a sense of peace to the keyblade misstress. Last time she was torn from life she only had the violent features of a once friendly face to see her off. But now, she could be carried off by a horizon of infinite possibilities. 'Who knows?" she bitterly thought, 'maybe this time it'll take'.

Lulled by the wind lashing past her ears Invi began to nod off, yet was jarred awake as a second coated figure caught her in midair. Hazily she looked up to her shrouded savior, realizing that she'd seen this person before.

"Master?" she croaked out in confusion.

The man slightly chuckled as he softly laid her on the ground.

"Close" he stated patiently.

Digging into his coat pocket he produced a potion and eased it to Invi's lips. He then adjusted his hood, revealing himself to be none other than Gula. revived the serpentine mistress sat up with a start, and scrutinized her foster brother as if he would disappear into thin air.

"B-but, I thought you were still assisting the master with training?" she spluttered out.

"Actually he took over for me, so I thought I could help you keep an eye on things". The man began to rub his neck nervously. "Sorry I took so long catching up, I had to make my own coat, and we both know that I'm nowhere near the craftsman our master is." Sure enough his black coat was simplistic at best, for it bore an unfashionably low number of zippers and accessories.

Leaning forward Invi hugged her companion in a light embrace. "Thank you Gula", she whispered.

Patting her shoulder Gula replied "No problem". "Now then," extricating himself Gula rose to his feet, "I think we have some guests. Can you stand?"

Noticing Mickey and the rest file out of the tower Invi pushed herself off the ground. Widening her stance she replied with a nod, bracing herself for inevitable trouble.

* * *

Mickey had immediately rushed out of the study when the intruder was tossed out the window. Whether or not she was a bad guy, he knew that his former master had no right to hurt her like that. Therefore, being the kind-hearted mouse that he was, king Mickey rushed down the stairs hoping to find the woman unharmed. Based on the flurry of footsteps behind him, he was proud to know that his friends felt the same way.

As the mouse reached the outside he could not suppress the sigh of relief at seeing the woman recovered. However, instincts began to kick in when he saw that another black coat now accompanying her. Summoning his keyblade Mickey took up a defensive stance, listening as his 8 companions each summoned their weapons and form rank to either side of him.

"Who are you!? More organization members!?" the king demande with authority.

"We're keyblade masters" the shabbily dressed one answered. "Neither of us want to fight, just talk". Before Mickey could reply the voice of Yen Sid boomed out of nowhere.

"What you are is a pair of intruders hoping to undermine the world order." Yen Sid commented as he popped into the clearing. "Therefore I command you to leave these lands immediately!"

"Wait, master Yen Sid," Mickey interjected garnering everyone's attention. "Shouldn't we try talking to them? Maybe we can solve our problems peacefully."

"Do not be swayed by their deceptions Mickey, the only path they desire leads to suffering."

"But not listening people's reasons is something bad guys do!"

"I said enough!" Summoning a light orb the sorcerer shot an attack towards Invi and Gula. Prepared , the two masters summoned their keyblades ready to guard. Yet the blast never reached.

"No, you stop it!" Quick as a flash the king intercepted the light orb and dispelled it with a strike. "I don't know what made you so angry at these people, but attacking them like this can't be the right way!"

"… So you would defy me-"

"I'm not defying anyone! This is just what my heart tells me… And I'm going to trust it!"

"The king's right!" Goofy added in as he joined his best friend's side with Donald. "Something smells fishy about all this, and I don't like it one bit!"

"Yeah!" the duck wizard added, "we want some answers!"

Surprisingly enough it was Aqua he joined the trio next. Placing a hand on his shoulder she gave the king an affectionate squeeze and approving smile. Mickey earnestly returned the smile, feeling like he just earned the slightest bit of forgiveness from his old friend.

One after the other the rest of the guardians of light joined in defense of the suspicious figures. Never in their wildest dreams did Invi and Gula expect to be given a chance by the heroes foretold in prophecy. And yet here they were, ready to stand against a lifelong ally solely for the sake of ethics. A small part of the foretellers wished that their master could be here if only to bask in Yen Sid's look of complete shock.

"… It would seem that I have underestimated the forces of evil once more" the sorcerer stated calmly. "I feared that their master might sway the hearts of a few of you, given enough time. But for two mere disciples to corrupt all of you at once?... None of my powers could have predicted this…"

"Actually it feels pretty predictable to me" Ava declared as she descended the front staircase. Yen Sid turned to address the keyblade mistress but she cut off whatever he was about to say with a wearied look. "You may have a good brain on your shoulders Yen, but it seems like you don't have quite the heart to match it".

"I assure you lady Ava, once they see the true nature of-." Yen Sid was suddenly overtaken by Ava's silence spell.

"…I'm sorry Yen; you did all that you could." Summoning her keyblade the vulpine mistress seemed to fall into deep contemplation. "…But now it's my turn to take over".

Gula pushed himself to the front of his group. "Ava!" he exclaimed, successfully garnering his former sister's indifferent gaze. "Whatever you're doing, it can't be right. We already did enough damage in our own time; don't drag these people down with us."

Something seemed to click in Ventus' mind at this speech. Wide-eyed he began to tug on the coated man's sleeve.

"Master Gula?" Ventus asked shakily.

At the name Chirithy popped into existence, cheering about how the masters were still alive.

"… It's been a long time Ven" Gula returned with a slight smile and sideways glance. "I'm glad you met so many friends".

Ignoring the scene before her Ava directed her keyblade towards the tower, summoning a keyhole at its very center. Breaking out of his enchantment Yen Sid began to loudly protest. "It's too early my lady!" he cried. "The last three have not yet surfaced from the darkness! Opening a door now will leave the entire abyss bare!"

"It doesn't matter." the traitor admitted dryly. "If I can stop my master from ruining the past, none of this will happen anyway…" Her eyes suddenly ignited with determination. "I have to believe that!"

Horror seized Invi and Gula's hearts as they realized what she was about to do. Wasting not a single breath both masters drew upon their inhuman reflexes in an attempt to stop their former ally. However, it would all prove in vain, for just as the blur of Gula's keyblade and the flash of Invi's lightning came within a hair's breadth of Ava she unsealed the world's keyhole.

A torrent of gale-force winds knocked everyone off their feet. Much like the Destiny Islands years before a black hole began consuming the very heavens. Hills were torn from their foundations, grass was seemingly sapped of life, and Yen Sid's tower began to crumble like ash in the wind.

"What have you done!?" Invi cried as she planted her keyblade into the ground.

"Starting over!" Ava replied in equal volume. Before Gula could react his wayward sister charged him and swiped his copy of Sora's Dream Journal. "This'll help me set things right; this paradox won't canonize itself you know!"

"Ava no-!" before Invi could finish her plea her sister already channeled her entire capacity for waking into the heart of the void. As if cut from reality itself Ava instantly disappeared, beginning her warfront on the sleeping worlds. Now, the loop was completed, for she could now give Yen Sid her own copy of the book of prophecies and set the whole anomaly into motion. Like it or not, Invi knew that only the master of masters and his group could set things right again.

The molten core of the void began to pulse at Ava's sacrifice, slowing its gravitational pull until finally becoming inert. Given a reprieve at last, Mickey and the rest began to process everything that just happened. The tower that once sheltered the mouse in his apprenticeship was in ruins, torn to shreds as if a twister had blown straight through it. The starry sky and beautiful vistas, once vibrant with light, now bore a deathly grey. And of course, a solid dark mass as dense as black marble now loomed menacingly overhead.

"Is everyone alright?" the king called out. A splattering of confirmations immediately followed. The only one not to reply was Yen Sid, for he stood in complete silence as he surveyed the remains of his home. Walking up to the sorcerer Mickey softly placed a comforting hand to his mentor's back, for words did not seem appropriate at this time.

"… We must save what we can" Yen Sid suddenly proclaimed.

"I'm sorry master, but I don't think there's much left here to save."

"No" the sorcerer shook his head sternly. "This world is already lost. But some of the other worlds may yet reach safety".

"What do you mean? I thought Sora Donald and Goofy already sealed the world keyholes?"

Yen Sid sighed and stared off towards the dark mass overhead. "I'm afraid… we will soon encounter foes capable of undoing those efforts." Like droplets of water dark globs began to drip off of the black moon, cratering into the ground below like meteors. "I will make preparations, you and your friends should retreat to your homes while you can."

"What're you talking about?!" Axel exclaimed from the back, "We can't just let them run amok!"

"Fight if you wish, young Axel" the sorcerer stated in his neutral tone. "But I must warn you, there will be no victory in facing this evil head-on." Without another world the spell-weaver vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving the eleven to a perpetual state of dread.

"… So now what do we- WAAAGH!" Donald cried as a dark droplet cratered at his feet. The mass reshaped itself into a tall and imposing figure, one that bore a familiar heart shaped hole in its chest. "Heartless!" the wizard cried as he rallied everyone to draw their weapons.

Scanning the clearing with its dead yellow eyes, Dark Inferno reached into its chest cavity and retrieved a pair of key shaped swords. Now revealing his full profile to the group around him, Invi and Gulatook notice of the red growth around its neck. Like a flood, realization swept over the pair. Reaching the same conclusion, one name escaped their lips.

 _Ephemer?_

* * *

At the far side of the galaxy a trigger went off inside Xigbar's brain. He tore his medical restraints off with an audible grunt, and hobbled his way over to a pile of his neatly folded clothes. The sniper then haphazardly flung his articles away until finally retrieving the ragged red bandana, the one that he always wore around his neck even under his black coat.

Closing his eyes, Xigbar began to channel his energy through the memento. Instantaneously the spell gave a painful feedback, confirming his dreaded suspicions.

"Damn it Ava," he bemoaned, "Just what kind of mess have you caused now?"

* * *

A/N: Terribly sorry about the delay, spent most of last week moving from my apartment. I'll be out of town for a while, so the future updates may be infrequent for a while. On the bright side, we're over half-way done with the story! So it's entirely possible that this journey will be concluded before the summer, and Nomura's spoils my head canon with his own.

I would like to give special thanks to Andy Bru and his theory video "Dark Inferno IS RELEVANT to Kingdom Hearts!" on YouTube for convincing me of the Dark Inferno's true identity. I feel that it makes complete sense, and fits like a glove with the core plot of Kingdom Hearts. As you will see in later chapters I have my own theory on how Luxu fits into it, but we will get to that at a later date.

For those of you interested the newest keyblade will be _Ocean's Lure_ , and naturally it would be heavily inspired by Maui's hook. The new world costumes are also designs I would love to see illustrated, especially if the artist wants to play around with their tattoos. I may commission an artist for concept designs in the future, and I would really enjoy suggestions in the comments below.

Thank you again for your continued interest, and I hope to catch you all in the next chapter. See ya!


	8. When Hearts Break

When all was said and done, adventuring in the Polynesian Islands was fairly standard.

Meeting an intrepid hero/heroine out to save their home? Check. Enlist the aid of a seemingly self-centered powerhouse that needed friendship all along? Check. Having to face a giant monster made of pure darkness and hatred? MAJOR check. Aside from the ongoing tattoo fiasco, restoring the heart of Te Fiti was well within Sora's playbook. What wasn't in the playbook, however, was just how impossible said big bad was turning out to be.

"On your left Sora!" Riku cried from the reef wall.

The keyblade hero reflexively channeled a wave of water magic to match Te Ka's flaming fist. In a gust of steam the lava monster's hand solidified, giving Maui the chance to sever the appendage. Yet just as she had dozens of times before, Te Ka merely recovered and continued the assault.

"Is Moana there yet!?" Sora called out behind him.

Kairi had to squint her eyes, but she caught sight of the girl scrambling onto shore. "Almost!" She replied with equal volume, "We just need to hold it off a little longer!" Aiming her keyblade to the water the princess conjured an icy surfboard and propelled herself across the bay.

"Sure thing!" Whistling Maui for a lift the islander and demigod began harassing the demon from the air. Kairi and Riku, taking advantage of her distraction, crippled Te Ka at the knees. When she at last started to only smolder the trio finished her off with a trinity strike, capped off by Maui's hook and exuberant "cheehoo!" unable to withstand the onslaught, Te ka fell to the ground.

Such victory was short lived, for soon the molten giant erupted like the volcanoes it embodied. As if leaves on the wind, Sora Riku Kairi and Maui were tossed to opposing corners of the bay. Freed from her aggressors, Te Ka returned her full attention to the intruding Moana.

Just before the monster the lobbed a molten orb towards the girl, Maui, knowing the consequences, countered Te Ka head on and shattered his magic hook. The ensuing magic pulse instantly knocked out Sora just as he breached the surface. Unable to keep himself afloat, the hero of the keyblade began to sink into the inky abyss below. But just as darkness started to engulf him, Sora was hooked by a whip-like demon arm that quickly carried the unconscious boy into the sea floor. And just like that, Sora was taken from the world without a trace.

* * *

The hero reawoke at the base of a gnarled tree near a dusty hill.

"Hey there mini me, how'd you enjoy the islands!?" Still blurry eyed, Sora barely made out the shape of his older self fixing his glove back on. "Glad the heat didn't get you too bad, heard that it can be KILLER this time of year".

His senior's voice had a seemingly magical effect on the islander. As if made of clockwork his mind began unjumbling itself. Soon he recalled that his friends were still fighting for their lives, and desperately struggled to regain his footing.

"Hey, chill out. The others have everything under control now" The man supplicated with a gentle grip. "Sides, I'll have you back before they know you're even gone".

"... Fine" Sora relented evenly, "what do you want anyway?"

"... Heh*, honestly I'd like a lot at this point. But right NOW," the master hoisted the teen to his feet and began climbing the nearby mound "I'd like some company". Curious to see where this was all going Sora followed without question.

Silence fell over the pair like an oppressive sheet. No matter how often the islander scanned the horizon no life seemed to stand out amongst the barren landscape. Not even the wind seemed to deign the Sora with a simple breeze. The more he looked around in his ascent, the more nostalgic the terrain seemed. The islander was about to question his companion about this but was immediately struck dumb by the chaos that greeted him beyond the summit.

There, just a league beyond a cliff's edge, was the fresh aftermath of the first keyblade war.

"First time?" master Sora asked rhetorically. "Yeah, not a real fan of this scene either".

"Is this… that keyblade war Xehanort kept talking about?"

"Yep, right on the munny…" Sighing heavily the man lowered his hood to reveal a somber expression. "You know, no matter how many times I revisit this memory, it never really gets easier to sit through".

"… Hold on, you were here during the keyblade war?" Sora questioned with utter confusion.

"Well, yes and no." snapping his fingers the master of masters revealed the image of Luxu standing at their side. Just as he had ages ago the student was observing the proceedings of the battle with No Name, a weapon that the islander immediately gasped at seeing. Sora was about to reach for the disdainful weapon, but found that it was nothing more than an illusion.

"Remember how we could see our friends using gummi phones? No matter how far away they were?" the man continued cryptically. "Well, let's just say that I turned our eye into gummiphone that calls from the future". Before the master could stop his younger self the youth started to violently retch onto the ground. "Hey cut that out! This is as much your brain as it's mine ya' know!"

It took a moment for the teen to recover from that… disgusting piece of news. But once he cleaned his mind of the image an epiphany took root. Looking down at the wicked keyblade's gazing eye the truth was left brutally bare: He was responsible for the weapon that killed Kairi.

"… What?..." Sora began to visibly shake as a vortex of dark emotions stirred within his heart. "You mean to tell me that you- no, WE, made tha-that THING!"

"… Yes."

With a loud cry the teenager tackled himself to the ground. Not injuring the man, Sora began punching the man all the same.

"We were supposed to protect everyone!" Breathing became labored. "We were supposed to keep darkness from hurting the world!" His knuckles ached in protest.

"Then why-" left fist

"Did you-" right fist

"Abandon them?!" both

…

"…Why did I, abandon them…"

…

…Having let the tantrum run its course, the young hero allowed himself to collapse to the side. Now, drained of his hatred, he started to openly weep.

"… I know" the master admitted from his prone state. Unfazed by the bout of battery he got to his knees and started to gently ease his alter ego into a sitting position. "But like it or hate it, we can't have the good unless we accept the bad".

He then directed the boy's attention to five exhausted figures at the center of the battlefield. "You see them? Aced and the others? They became my family when I had no one else". One by one each figure collapsed to the ground, until only Ava remained, wailing with a grief that tore at the very heavens. "I simulated thousands of scenarios to try saving them. Some of which actually delayed all of… THIS, by decades or more… But in every one of those scenarios, neither of us are ever born".

Sora sobered at the declaration. He always believed in sacrificing himself to save others, his track-record was proof enough. So he honestly never considered what it would take to break that conviction, or at the very least, turn him selfish. "So what, you're telling me to become a wimp?" the islander retorted with undisguised venom.

"Pfft*, as if! But if we aren't around to get the ball rolling the whole time-space continuum will get scrapped." Turning around the master discovered that his explanation went way over his junior's head. "… okay… think of it like fireworks. No matter how much effort you put into making them, none of them will launch if you don't have a match to light their fuse. In this case we're the match".

"Ugh*, I just don't see why someone else wouldn't come along and take over. I mean, there are plenty of heroes out there right?!"

"… Yeah, it's still too early to be having this argument."

"And what's that suppose to mean!?"

"Find the last four crowns and I'll tell you."

The Islander was becoming more and more tempted to tackle the master again. But just as he began digging in his heels the unmistakable shape of Kingdom Hearts broke through the clouds ahead.

"What's going on?" Sora forced out shakily.

A melancholy smile overtook his elders expression "… What I thought was the best outcome..."

Like a swarm of butterflies thousands of hearts ascended from their graves towards the heavens. The young Sora looked towards Ava hoping for answers, only to find that the young woman was seemingly caught up in some sort of prayer. Soon she began to dissolve into particles of light, followed by Ira, Gula, Aced and Invi. When at last every heart had ascended into the kingdom, darkness began to seep around the celestial object. Just as it would when Xehanort summoned it ages later.

"How could this possibly be the best outcome!?" Sora exclaimed fearfully.

"Simple. If they couldn't be saved in this time, maybe they could in ours."

"What does that even mean!?"

"I already told you; Find the other crowns and you'll understand." The surface of Kingdom Hearts began cracking like an egg shell, releasing an endless torrent of darkness on the world's surface. "But right now I just want you to understand something. Ava, the girl that was just crying, is now hunting you."

"Why would she do that!?" The islander was now looking between the strange man and the oncoming tsunami of darkness.

"Because she thinks that destroying you will stop the keyblade war from happening." Meticulously the master of masters donned his hood. "The heart is fragile Sora! If it breaks, it can easily turn even the most innocent person into a monster! Even so! They're in just as much need of saving as anyone else!" Before the boy could ask any further the ground began to crack and split from an earthquake. "What is broken can be mended, never forget that Sora!"

With a strong shove the man pushed the keyblade hero off the hill and back towards the tree. The last thing the boy saw was the ancient master and Luxu fade behind the wall of darkness. Then, just as his form fazed into the tree trunk, a single sentence repeated itself in his mind: _What is broken can be mended._ Lulled by the message, he once more fell into a deep sleep…

* * *

"…So-…a… So-…ra… Sora!"

The islander was shocked awake by the familiar voice of Kairi. He was pleasantly surprised to find himself on a warm and sandy beach, far and away from the ash heaped clouds above Te Ka or the eternal night of the keyblade war.

Sighing in relief Kairi collected the boy in her arms, relishing in his safety. "Thank heaven your alright! We've been looking everywhere for you…" Right on cue Riku came around the bend. Catching sight of his reckless friend he haphazardly sprinted across the beach and stole Sora into a brotherly embrace.

"Sheesh Sora, you really can't stay out of the water can you!?" Riku exclaimed breathlessly.

The keyblade's hero began to brighten significantly. "What can I say, merman habits die hard." Pushing himself away he adopted a serious tone. "Where's Te Ka?"

"Well…" Kairi interrupted while pointing inland, "I don't think that name is appropriate anymore…"

Following her finger Sora was blown away by the sight of a colossal green goddess smiling down at him. "Sora, I'd like you to meet Te Fiti" the girl finished happily. The islander could only wave awkwardly to the goddess, which she thankfully found endearing.

Not taking his eyes of Te Fiti Sora murmured sideways "She was the lava creature this whole time?"

"That's right. It turns out that when Maui stole her heart she fell to darkness."

"So she became a heartless?"

"Not quite" Riku interjected, "It's more like she was injured and lashed out to protect herself."

"… Like her heart was broken…" Sora stated distantly as his previous conversation came to mind.

"Yeah… but Moana set things right". This immediately drew the islander's interest. "She figured out what happened and opened her heart to Te Fiti, and once she knew that Moana understood her, she did the same."

"… So, there's a way to heal a broken heart?" Sora asked hopefully.

Kairi giggled at his exuberance. "Of course silly!" she then placed her palm over his chest. "With a large enough heart, anyone can help those who're in pain. That's what friends are for, right?"

Sora nodded happily in agreement.

"Hey, there you are hoa!" cried a booming voice. From the other end of the beach Maui and Moana finally caught up with the rest of the search party. "I thought you knew better than to swim in rocky waters! Some ko ia you're turning to be!" the demigod continued teasingly.

"Heh*, sorry braddah?" Sora met him half way with a fist bump, "I needed to cool off."

What ensued was a round of laughter and comradery amongst the group. None of the islanders wanted to admit it, but this adventure was starting to get pretty hairy for a bit. But now, reassured that everyone was alright and wiser for it, they could finally hang loose.

They were cut out of from their revelry by Te Fiti's expectant palm landing gently beside Sora.

"Huh, I think she wants you to get on Sora" Moana stated with pleasant surprise.

Following her advice the adventurer climbed onto the godess' palm and was lifted to her floral crown. Sora was shocked that Te Fiti seemed to know about his mission, which was all but confirmed by the wink the goddess gave him. With a firm nod he placed his hand into the flower patch and unlocked the sovereign power that lay within.

* * *

"So, does that mean you guys are heading off?" Maui casually asked as the boy was lowered to the ground.

"Yep, got a few more trips to make."

"Well, feel free to come back when you're done." Moana offered. "I think I can get my tribe to start voyaging again, so I'd love it if you three could join us."

Kairi offered her hand to her fellow princess, "Yeah, we'll come back before you know it". Moana took this to be her promise and gladly shook on it.

"Let's just hope these tattoos won't become permanent if we keep coming back" Sora added suddenly.

"Hey, what's this talk about leaving behind tattoos?!" Maui cried with false disdain, "You should be proud of that ink little guy! Make it into a story for everyone to see!... In fact, I think there's room for a mural or two right there…" The demigod deviously teased.

"Um, no thanks!" Knowing exactly where this was all leading Sora proceeded to sprint away at top speed.

Giving chase the demigod playfully yelled "Don't be suck a ka moa! It'll look great!"

Everyone in attendance began to laugh uncontrollably at the impromptu race around Te Fiti. To the trio it all felt like they were back on their own island, playing like there wasn't a care in the world. Perhaps it was for this reason that when the final world took effect, all three islanders were laughing the entire way out.

Despite the tribulations that lay before the future master of masters, he would always have this to hold onto.

* * *

Fate adjusts its weave…

* * *

A/N: Good news everyone! Thanks to Glosaryk, weirdo teachers travelling through time to ensure past events are now within Disney's wheelhouse! My theory is one step closer to not being insane!... Also I'm sorry for taking so long to write this chapter. I maaay have extended my break beyond necessary, and that's on me.

I for one believe whole-heartedly in shunning cliff-hangers. Yet I seem to have done just that last chapter. Next week I shall try to address certain… apocalyptic events, which have gone unanswered. As always please let me know if you have any criticism or insights in the comments below.

Thank you again for sharing your time and consideration. Till next time!


	9. At Knife's Edge

Though earning more than a few bruises in the process Mickey and co. were able to defeat the Dark Inferno with relative ease. In single combat Ephemer could overwhelm even the strongest of master. But faced with eleven, not even strongest of heartless could survive long.

"Huh, thought that'd be harder." Axel stated cockily.

"Um, Axel?" Roxas prodded, "You might want to take another look". Pointing with one of his keyblades the teen drew the pyromancer's attention to their slain foe. Even though its heart floated out of its body, neither vessel nor spirit gave any indication of disappearing.

"… Guessing this means trouble?" Axel asked rhetorically.

"Yeah… Call it a hunch Axel, but I think you just jinxed us."

With a sudden flurry of movement the heartless and heart were zipped back to the void moon. Like clockwork, the colossal terror reabsorbed the forsaken creature and spat him back out at equal velocity. Landing with the impact of a meteor, the Dark Inferno was completely restored.

"This-… this is just crazy!" Ventus exclaimed. Shaken by this display everyone struggled to readopt their battle positions. "How are we suppose to stop this thing if it keeps coming back!?"

Mickey looked towards the dark globe in the sky and thought back to their keyblade war. An epiphany struck the king.

"Everyone!" the mouse exclaimed, "We need to seal the moon thing like we did with Kingdom Hearts! That way he can't use it to recover!"

"Alright!" Invi answered confidently. "Gula and I will hold him off, the rest of you help Mickey!" Without another word both leopard and serpent masters engaged their corrupted student in heated melee.

"Okay everybody, together!" In unison the seven wielders aimed their keyblades towards the darkness and released a torrent of sealing energy. To their shock, the magic was deflected not even half way there.

Plumes of light blinded the heroes as their attacks splashed against seven invisible objects. Unable to endure it any further Mickey and the rest relented in their assault. A quick Esuna from Xion cleared the spots from their vision, yet came to regret it immediately after.

Hovering ten feet above them 7 invisibles revealed themselves. Unlike the heartless of Sora's adventures these bore slight hints of individualism (such as growths in the shapes of accessories or faux hair lengths). But what all of them had in common were the same key-like swords, still glowing with the molten heat of keyblade blasts.

Invi and Gula were soon knocked back into the group by their corrupted student. Taking his cue the dark inferno motioned for his allies to surround the assembled heroes. Though shaken, the guardians of light formed up immediately, despite the doom that lay just ahead.

"Any idea guys?" Terra asked over his shoulder.

"Working on it" Aqua replied evenly. "We could use an opening though".

…

…

"Heh, Guess that's where I come in". A cruel and familiar voice chuckled.

A shower of magical bolts pin-cushioned the encircling heartless as Xigbar dropped in from the sky. Punctuated by the pops of Ephemer and his heartless the sniper twirled his Nameless pistols and flashed his cocky grin. "…'sup".

Everyone in attendance knew the man in different ways. To Aqua, Ventus and Terra he was Braig, the crony that contributed to ruining their lives. To Roxas, Xion and Axel he was Xigbar, a former colleague that was more of an awkward acquaintance than outright friend. The king and his retainers, who knew him by the same name, regarded him as just another organization member warranting only skepticism. But to Invi and Gula he was Luxu, a friend that's as close to them as family. Suffice it to say the ensuing reactions were… mixed.

Aqua tore from the formation and swung out with her keyblade. Anticipating the attack Xigbar crossed his pistols and caught the master's weapon mere inches from his face. He half expected Terra and Ventus to join in, but was pleasantly surprised to see them held back by the more level-headed members of their party.

"How DARE you show your face to us!" Aqua exclaimed over the grating of their weapons. "Haven't you caused enough evil already!?"

"Eh, I've got room on my schedule~" the sniper mocked casually. "'Sides, I wouldn't miss messing with you losers for the world!"

Aqua tried to redouble her efforts in breaking the thug's guard, but found that her muscles would not cooperate. Ever the expert in spell craft, Aqua instantly understood that she was being subjected to a calming charm. While struggling to fight off the effects the master scanned the area for the magic's source, and noticed two masked figures coming into view.

"You know Luxu, it doesn't hurt to at least _try_ mending your bridges" Ira called out as he crested the hill with Aced.

"What, and throw away a decade of antagonism? As if!" Gently he guided the spell-weavers keyblade to her side as the guardians looked on with dumbfounded expressions. "Nah, I'll leave exposition dump to Gula, more his style anyways".

The master in question gave a dirty look.

Before the conversation could be carried any further the abyssal moon pulsed. Just as before the Dark Inferno re-emerged from its darkness, but now he was accompanied by a full platoon of his brethren.

This only served to amuse Xigbar even further.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I've got an old friend to catch up with". Despite his bravado the sniper winced as he limped toward the encroaching swarm. Everyone else was still for a moment until Roxas and his group began to follow after.

"Hold up there champs" Xigbar halted with an open palm. "You and your mouseketeers aren't invited to this party".

Roxas snorted at this. "What, and you're going to handle all these guys alone?"

"No offense Xigbar" Xion added with a smirk, "but you don't have the best track record with fights".

Annoyed by the condemning remarks the one-eyed wanderer gave a mirthless laugh. "Hardy-har, brats picking on their elders, how original" the sniper mused. "Well for _your_ information I'm on a strict 'keep idiots alive' policy. But since that's not an issue with THESE guys" he plunged a hand into his own heart, "I can dust off the big guns".

With perfect dexterity he brought forth a leather tied keychain with three interlocking triangles and equipped it, causing the sniper and his weapon to disappear from sight. The Dark Inferno, recognizing the potential danger, mustered his forces into summoning a behemoth of a shield. This proved to be their salvation, for not a second later a perpetual monsoon of invisible projectiles battered at their defenses from all sides. Unable to maintain the spell a few of the heartless faltered, and instantly fell victim to the impossible attack. By the time the assault finished, a full third of the dark forces were lost.

The world was dead silent as Xigbar reappeared holding an obsidian black bow. Though he didn't show it, even he was surprised that the fabled elf-shot would still function so well. And yet there it was, just as terrifying as his people believed it to be.

"... You've had THAT this whole time?!" Aced demanded amongst the awestruck crowd.

"Like I said, big guns". By now the remaining heartless descended upon them and engaged the Masters and heroes in a melee. "I'll tell you about it later, just get out of here!" the dead-eye commanded as he culled his share of the darkness.

Ira doubled his efforts and fought his way towards his brother. "We're not leaving you Luxu!" He yelled over the sounds of combat.

"It's fine! Where I came from jerks like me LIVED for a fight like this" he punctuated his point by twanging his weapon and making an opening in the enemy ranks. "Now go! You've got people to save!"

"Fine!"Aced grunted as he began shoving his allies through the gap, "but if you're not back by tomorrow you'll regret it!"

Spin attacking Xigbar gave himself breathing room. "You kidding!? As if I'd miss the finale!"

Assured that the former foreteller had the situation under control the party rallied into a retreat. Working together they reached the shattered tree Ira & Aced arrived through and made their way to the foreteller camp.

Xigbar let out a sigh of relief as Gula pulled the last of the guardians through. "Finally, thought they'd never lea-" his thought was interrupted by a near cross cut to the neck. He was able to block it, but his former injuries made it the task all the more difficult.

He was unsurprised to see his current aggressor was Ephemer's heartless, and he couldn't help but chuckle about it. "Sorry Eph (*pained groan), I couldn't get it right this time either". Adjusting his footing Xigbar pushed the Dark Inferno away and knocked another arrow. "Who knows, maybe next time he'll get this right?" Ignoring the comment, the monstrosity once known as Ephemer charged, and former friends traded blows once more…

* * *

One by one Mickey and company stumbled exhaustedly out of the tree. They were wearied by their near hopeless situation, and though they refused to admit it, were concerned for Xigbar. Despite the animosity he garnered over the years he still saved them when they needed him most, a debt that Tera couldn't help but chafe under.

Such concern had to be shelved away, for Goofy and Donald caught a familiar sight parked just a few meters ahead of them.

"The Gummiship!" Knight and wizard cried out in unison. Before Mickey could stop them the pair dashed haphazardly towards the space-craft.

"Hold up fellas! We don't know what could be in there!" Mickey cautioned. Unfortunately the King's voice was mostly drowned out by the mechanical whirring of the entry hatch. Goofy was able to catch bits and pieces, so he paused midstep up the gangplank to cup his ear.

"What was that your majesty!?" He bellowed louder than necessary.

"I said! We don't know what's in there!"

" Oh! Okay!" The dog knight poked his head into the ship. "Hey Donald! The King's told us-" he was cut off by the duck's surprised scream. Wasting no time the heroes sprinted to the rescue, assuming that yet another monster had assailed their companion. Yet when they reached the command deck they only found Donald in the process of shaking two unresponsive figures in the passenger seats.

"Riku! Kairi! You've got to wake up!" The duck cried desperately.

Hearing these names the group quickly crowded around the slumbering duo and took turns trying to wake them. But try as they might, neither of the teenagers would stir. Eventually the crestfallen heroes had to admit defeat.

"I don't understand, how could this happen to us again?" Mickey sagged in grief.

"If only Sora was here," Goofy added miserably, "he'd know what to do..."

"Actually, he's the reason they're in the sleeping world's" Gula commented from the doorway. Turning to the newest arrival the heroes expressed a mixture of confusion and disbelief. "Sorry, that came out wrong. What I mean is that they're doing this to bring him back".

Ventus had enough of this mystery, so he stepped forward and finally asked "Master? Just what is going on?"

Sighing the foreteller and massaged his obscured forehead looking for a response. "Look, I know Lu-... Xigbar, promised you a lesson. But the fact is we don't have time for that-" Suddenly Gula remembered a very... Unique piece of advice from his master.

'When in doubt, draw it out'.

"... (*Sigh)..." Wordlessly he picked up an errant comic book and magically turned it blank. That done he used his enhanced speed to draw pictures of past events that nearly ignited the book with the friction alone. But by the time the smoke settled, and the pages blown upon for good measure, Gula was the reluctant creator of an exposition sketchbook.

"Here" the master remarked as he tossed the "tome" to Mickey. "Look through that when you have time, but right now we need to get back to fighting those monsters".

"Hold on" Roxas interrupted "you want us to go back to the tower JUST when we got out of there-?"

The foreteller held up his hand to stop Roxas. "No, our priority is saving the people from your worlds".

A veil of dread swept over the room at this announcement.

"It's... Really that bad?" Xion shakily question.

The man nodded morbidly. "Before they were heartless, those monsters were keyblade wielders. We trained them to collect and stockpile light, hoping that we could use it to fight off the inevitable darkness. But it only served to create competition, and their hearts gave birth to the very thing we feared..."

Aqua, who was raised on stories about the age of fairytales since childhood, recognized the big picture. Grabbing the sketchbook from Mickey the woman flipped through the pages until finding a familiar illustration of the keyblade graveyard... with countless slain wielders strewn upon its grounds.

Aqua struggled desperately with the implications of this new development. "So... you mean that they are..." she muttered hesitantly.

"... The casualties of the first keyblade war? Yes, I am." with a heavy sigh Gula adopted a contemplative posture. "And if I'm right about Ava, I think she awoke their hearts just enough to use keyblades, but failed to restore their minds. Without those, they'll fall back on their last and strongest of desires".

"Which is?" Mickey asked nervously.

"To collect light… including the ones found in people's hearts…"

"…Isn't there anything we can do to stop them?" Terra piped in.

The leopard master shook his head in denial. "As long as they can use keyblades they can unlock any barrier we put in front of them, including the door to darkness".

King Mickey had a sudden epiphany. "Wait a second fellas!" He exclaimed excitedly. "We can bring everyone to my world! Even if they open a path, the Cornerstone of Light will keep their darkness from coming through!"

[Author's Note: Clearly Nomura forgot this was a thing, considering how the unversed show up in Disney town in BBS and Maleficent walks right into the castle during DDD. But for the sake of the story I'm reinstating this feature of the canon.]

While the guardians of light grew excited about this idea Gula continued to maintain a serious expression. The group watched in confusion as he walked over to a computer, and growing downright nervous when he released a disappointed sigh.

"Normally that would work," the man commented disappointedly, "but I'm afraid we've already lost that option".

With a few keystrokes he transferred an image of the Galaxy map to the main display. It only took Mickey and his gang mere second to realize that a critical feature was missing... Disney Castle.

"Minnie! Everyone! They're gone!" The king cried in anguish. His retainers did their best to comfort him, but found that their own heartache was also beginning to spill over.

Axel was the first of the other guardians to break through the shock. "Did those heartless-" he struggled out before being cut off by the ancient master.

"No, I'm afraid Yen Sid might have abducted it..." Gula replied gravely.

"B-but Why?! Why would he do that?!..." The mouse questioned desperately.

"Probably to try preserving it in a vault or something. He's far from the first to try that, and it never works."

"So, let's go find him and get it back!" Ventus roused with determination.

"We will, but first we need to evacuate the other worlds while we still can".

Goofy chimed in "But uh, where're they suppose to go if not the King's castle?"

"Actually, right here." Returning to the keyboard the foreteller added a filter depicting the amount of light in each world.

"As you can see, most of the worlds are nearly iridescent with light" Gula continued scholarly. "But where we are NOW," he zoomed in on a lone corner with a blip barely a shade above the blackness of space, "has a light that is almost entirely muted by its darkness. So, if they are trying to harvest light, it stands to reason that they'd prioritize the richer sites before bothering with the poorest, so while they're busy with other worlds, we'll have time to fortify on this one".

Looking to his audience, Gula realized that this conversation was far from encouraging to the party of optimists.

"... You know, I was raised on the stories of Sora and his friends. About how even when everything seemed lost, they would always find a way to win it all back." One by one the heroes began to perk up.

"So, let's do everything we can to buy us some time" he entreated before motioning to Riku and Kairi. "Give these two the chance to bring the missing piece back home. The one person that's been there when we needed him most."

"Sora" everyone echoed reverently.

"So, let's give our hero the homecoming he deserves!" Everyone cheered at this declaration, and without further provocation they followed the master of Leopardus to the world tree. Waiting for them were the three other foretellers, impatient to begin chaperoning teams to the different worlds.

They divided into four groups. Three to start the evacuations at Radiant Gardens, Destiny Islands and Twilight Town. The fourth heading back to try converting the Land of Departure into Castle Oblivion and occupy the light hunters that much longer. They all knew that it was a long shot, but with faith, trust and hero's luck, they might just pull through.

* * *

A/N: I finally present to you chapter 9! I am so sorry that it's taken me this long to produce this much, but if the drop in sentence quality is any indication, my creative juice has been running on dust lately. I know exactly what I want to happen in my story, but I've lost the coherency to pen it to paper.

Therefore I want to give you, the readers, a say in how approach the upcoming chapters. I can try to address the remaining worlds in detail, but it may take some time to make it feel satisfactory. Or I can speed things up a bit and dedicate the chapters towards Sora, his duo and crazy fox lady. Please, let me know what you think.

Also, since this has developed far beyond an epilogue to KH3, I'm taking 3 out of the title… not the biggest deal I know, but worth addressing nonetheless.

Now for something completely different, I want to give recognition to laika687 on and they're concept of KH: A World Without Sky. They already beat me to the punch by incorporating a few of my planned worlds into a Kingdom Hearts narrative and it is turning out beautifully. I look forward to seeing where they take Kairi next, and hope that it inspires others to approach their own theories for Kingdom Hearts 4.


	10. Bonus Chapter: E3 Update

A/N: So the day has finally come... KH:TLJ is no longer canon compliant! (*Round of applause*). Due to the recent DLC trailer a certain someone is in a place and time that is not the box. Then again you could chalk it up to time travel shenanigans, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

.

.

.

I just thought you'd like to know that.

.

.

.

Oh yeah, and the trailer made me realize who Luxord and Demyx are.


	11. Bonus Chapter: Hello Again

Hello everyone, it's been… months, since I've left you all in the lurch. For that I am sorry, for it is entirely my fault.

The truth is that I have lost my proverbial muse. After a combination of beurocratic issues I cannot seem to find the same spark I've had before (though to be fair I have not given many opportunities for it to return…)

Long story short I am not sufficiently up to snuff to novelize(ish) the rest of this story in the same manner the previous chapters.

 **HOWEVER!**

That does not mean I have been sitting on my hands these past 6 or so months! In fact I have been forcing myself to write rough summaries of each chapter in the event that my flair came back out of the blue. But since that hasn't happened yet, and the pesky canon dlc sails ever closer, I decided that the least I can do is post them as placeholders so you won't be left in the lurch any longer.

If any of you have any thoughts on this approach or the content that lay within please review or message me. My entire purpose is to entertain, and I need to know if you'd have me prepare the proverbial dish in any other way.

I will be releasing the summary chapters over the course of the upcoming weeks. Hopefully they'll all be prepared before re:mind releases.

In any event, I'm glad to be back.


	12. Extra: The Bench Warmers

Flashback to the end of the Tokyo visit.

Ira and Aced are informed by the master about Sora and the gang leaving Tokyo, and are told to "take a break". Flash-forward to ch. 9 where Xigbar interrupts their game of chess (which still has the ridiculous rules from Xehanort's and Eraquos' game, much to Aced's irritation) and drags them along to save Mickey and the rest.

* * *

A/N:

Not entirely relevant to the plot, but I felt that this chapter would have been a nice break of levity (especially for upcoming events…)


	13. The Ancient Echo

Sora and gang arrive at Atlantis. Adventure is alluded to but not detailed. Scene picks up in the heart of Atlantis' chamber. Sora is mesmerized by the heart and falls unconscious.

Sora awakens in a foreign memory (a scene from the gazing eye). It's the moment when Ephemer and the others are escaping the Union X simulation after defeating Darkness. Xigbar (sharing the body of the protagonist of Union X at the time in a bid to save them from the Oblivion after the keyblade war [as well as keep an eye out for the anomaly]) is holding the portal open and telling the young leaders that they'll be scattered through the new worldline's time and will probably never see each other again. The party says their goodbyes. They all go through except Ephemer, who asks if he'll see Xigbar/protagonist again. He replies probably, though he won't be recognizable. Ephemer decides to give his bandana to him so he can recognize him, and the foreteller gives Ephemer No Name in exchange.

The memory ends and Sora wakes to find Kairi and Riku standing over him. They tell him how Milo left to save his friend and they go after him. All the while Ava has been quietly watching the encounter from the shadows...

Cut to after Sora and the others save Atlantis. He once again looks to the heart hoping for answers but doesn't find any. His keyblade thrums and identifies the city's heart as the next crown. He mantles its power and gets ready to move on. Riku and Kairi are noticeably concerned. Ends with MoM stewing from a vantage point high above, silently chastising the heart of Atlantis for potentially ruining the plan. He laughs it off, and mentions how he's glad he has "an ace up his sleeve".

* * *

A/N:

I was hoping that Union X would have been finished before I reached this chapter. That way I would at least have SOME context into how to handle the transition of the dandelions into the current world-line. Sadly it was not to be… So I did what I do best and conjectured the entire ending from scratch!

I imagine that I have left far too many questions lingering after this chapter, so please do not hesitate in reviewing or PMing your inquiries. I will do what I can to fill in the holes left by this leap.

Also; the keyblade unlocked by this adventure is Ancient Cipher, a weapon with a handle and guard inspired by the steam-punk brass of the explorers and a stone blade reminiscent of the Atlantian technology.


	14. The Twilight Fades

Roxas, Xion and Invi in twilight town. Evacuations are going well but Infernos begin to steadily fall in. Eventually the group, along with Hayner Pence and Olette, are forced to lead the remainder of survivors through the underground tunnels to the tree (which unsurprisingly is near the abandoned mansion).

Unfortunately there were Infernos waiting at the end of the tunnel, which take up the attention of the keyblade wielders. Stalled by the aggressors, the rear is quickly assaulted by the pursuers, and Hayner alongside Seifer are the only ones to face them. Ill-equipped, the pair of teens are quickly overrun and lose their hearts. This draws Roxas' attention and he flies into a fit of rage as he cuts down the heartless behind them.

Roxas makes a dent, but alone he proves fairly outclassed. Suddenly, much to his shock, he notices a dark figure fight its way to him. It is revealed to be Vanitas (who took advantage of the fissure between realms to check on his brother, but mistook the signature of Roxas for Ventus). He comments how he's surprised Roxas is getting along so well with his own dark copy (Xion), and idly comments his jealousy. The conversation is tabled for later and the two Sora!faces work together to finish off the rest of the heartless.

By the time the last immortal is banished the last of the survivors have escaped. Vanitas, being who he is, assumes that he's part of the gang already and suggests "meeting them later", opening a corridor to the rendezvous. Too tired and shaken to look further into it, the heroes takes their own leave.

* * *

A/N:

Yep… good news is that Ventus' "brother" is back. Bad news is… it's time to start "disappearing" characters and NPC's. Fair warning, there shall be more fan favorites to "fall to darkness", that much I assure you. Have fun waiting for the curtains to drop…


	15. The Sea of Stars

Treasure Planet chapter. Coming across John Silver in a spaceport beset by nightmares, the trio are conscripted by the "cook" after Sora let's slip that he's a pirate (John's hat looked piraty enough for Sora to relate). Incentivized by the idea that the treasure of a thousand worlds would host more than enough crowns to complete their quota, the Islanders hop aboard the ship and everything plays out mostly the same way it does in the movie.

Jump to the scene where Jim let's John Silver escape. Though unable to find any crowns the destiny trio is glad that John Silver was finally able to let his heart guide him. Not wanting to let his new friends leave empty handed, the cyborg lends Sora the hat he seemed to like so much, which turns out to qualify as a crown of a kingdom (kingdom of the free skies). Succeeding in their objective, Sora and his friends say their goodbyes and depart for the next world.

* * *

A/N:

This has also been a chapter I've been looking forward to since the beginning. As a good friend of mine can attest I've always had a fondness for the cult classics of Disney, especially Treasure Planet. Not to mention that I felt like this story would be a natural fit considering Sora's previously swash-buckling adventures in the Caribbean. All in all I'm happy I got the chance to put this one out there.

The keyblade acquired this time will be Fortune-Maker. It is inspired by the unique techno-Victorian style of the world (particularly the solar sail ascetic in the blade and teeth).


	16. The Old Darkness

Land of Departure with Aqua, Terra and Ira. They arrive on world to find a figure wrapped in darkness overlooking the school. They brandish their keyblades, but the figure makes no move to engage (instead admonishing them for their "quick tempers")

Aqua can't help but think that his darkness is familiar to the kind in the abyss sea (almost as if it had a scent about it). She demands to know his identity, but he replies that they wouldn't recognize him even if he gave them it. In fact, he had been working on his comeback up until recently, and the return of his countless parents (the original union members) did just the trick.

"Speaking of which, here they come now" he states while pointing behind them.

Realizing this was all a distraction the heroes grit their teeth as the sky rips open, revealing a horde of invisibles. The dark figure bids the masters farewell as they're forced to retreat in failure.

* * *

A/N:

Even completed this will be the shortest chapter in the story. All the same it fulfills it's purpose of introducing a new interloper to the story. As to who they are… well, you'll just have to find out…


	17. Bygone

Sora and company in Kuzco world (yes even the world is named after him). The lama emperor has learnt his lesson and they're on their way to the palace. Ava, aged considerably from her wanderings in the sleeping realm, finally makes her move. Stopping Sora and the keyblade wielders outside the gates, she lets Kuzco and Pacha by.

The group stands ready for battle, but is shocked when the foreteller makes no move to fight. They ask her "aren't you here to stop us?" She replies that she is, but there is something she'd like to try first. Summoning a barrier she separates Sora from his companions. Before the boy can retaliate, she uses illusion magic to draw him into his alien memory.

* * *

He is next in a scene of Scala Ad Caelum. A younger version of Ava tells him that she senses a door was opened to him (his connection to the gazing eye). Due to this, she wants to try convincing him of the horrors his actions would bring.

The world begins to move as a scene of a young Eraquos is setting up a chess game. In walks in a young grey eyed Xehanort, back from his travels. The brunette tries to welcome him with a hug but Xehanort's foul expression gives him pause. He asks what's wrong; Xehanort replies that "he's just here to see the masters". Eraquos offers him a game of chess all the same to catch up. Xehanort rejects a little more forcefully.

At this point master Ludor (Luxord) comes in, offering to stand in for Xehanort after the meeting. Though hesitant, Eraquos agrees and they all leave the room with their master.

The scene suddenly changes as No Name is summoned by one of the 7 masters of Scala Ad Caelum in a council chamber (much like the one the nobodies would eventually make) as part of a demonstration of arms. From this vantage Sora watches as Xehanort makes his case to the council about resetting the world line (the light is too corrupted for this reality to be good). The masters outright deny his suggestion (he does not have appropriate insight or knowledge into the nature of the universe). Xehanort calls them corrupted cowards and leaves.

Scene changes back to the game room has No Name is desummoned to the mantle. Xehanort angrily enters and begins pacing. A young Yen Sid (still a keyblade master) notifies the man that the key archivist wishes to meet with him. The seeker accepts with a dismissive wave.

In comes an elderly man sporting a kind smirk. He comments about overhearing the meeting, and how interested he is in how Xehanort came across such "insights". Xehanort rebuttals that it's none of the man's business. The visitor merely chuckles and grasps the younger wielder's shoulder with deceptive strength. "I think you might be mistaken about that".

Before Xehanort can pull away the Librarian's eyes turn an iridescent yellow. "Try to cover it up all you like kid" the elder taunts, "but You're heart's has some seriously dark deeds buried inside" (referring to the events of Xehanort's time-traveling). "Besides," he continues, "I have a lock that LITERRALLY has your name written all over it. So hopping into you might be just what get it going."

The old man begins to perform the same spell of heart transferring that Xehanort did in BBS. But before he can complete it Eraquos walks in, and seeing a his friend about to be struck by a spell, jumps in and slices the intruding heart in half (though half of it still lodges itself in Xehanort and knocks him unconscious).

Shocked by seeing his heart split in twain the man falls to his knees and begins to disintegrate. He looks to No Name on the mantle knowingly and whispers "So this is the one, huh... Master?" And he consequently dissolves completely, soon to be reborn as Xigbar.

Master Ludor and Yen Sid burst in after hearing the commotion. The former rushes over to where the librarian once knelt muttering how this wasn't supposed to happen. Eraquos, who was in the process of moving the unconscious Xehanort to a couch, draws an unfortunate conclusion from his master's display. "Master Ludor?" he asks hesitantly, "Did you know he was an agent of darkness?"

Ludor looks back to his student with a frown. He tries to assure him that the man was not an agent of darkness (in fact he was a vital agent for the universal order). Eraquos shrugs it off and proclaims that Xehanort was right about the corruption, and that he will no longer have a part in it. As the young man leaves the room his master asks where he's going. Eraquos replies "to start over without your poison".

Ludor follows after his student as he tries to sense into him (the sound of Eraquos flying away sounds in the background), leaving Yen Sid and Xehanort alone in the room. The young sorcerer, having decided to leave the order completely, moves to the mantle and reveals a secret compartment containing a Book of Prophecies. But just as he's about to retrieve it, Ava apparates and stops him. The now aged keyblade mistress tells him that the book (as well as it's siblings from the dandelion masters) are fakes. Handing the young man her copy she explains that "This copy, on the other hand, can let you change the future". Before the man could respond, the interloper vanished.

Yen Sid, deciding that this wasn't the time to question his fortunes, takes his leave from the world (beginning his own quest for improving the future).

Now that everyone has left, Xehanort finally opens his now yellow eyes, and armed with the dark knowledge carried by the half of Luxu's heart he claims No Name from the mantle and plunges it into the ground. From his view from the gazing eye, Sora bears witness to the destruction of Scala Ad Caelum (and almost everyone else on world, civilian and wielder alike), as its barrier against darkness is dispelled by the corrupted keyblade wielder, and his vision is consumed by a familiar void.

* * *

Sora reawakens to the aged Ava standing over him, asking the boy if he understands why he must not awaken. "No matter how often the keyblade wielders rebuild" she continues, "your darkness always finds a way to tear it apart again".

Sora's angst nearly takes hold, but as always, his friends break through the barrier and snap him out of it. Standing between the ancient master and their best friend, Riku and Kairi confirm that Sora will never become evil, for "he has too much love in his heart to become that way".

Ava tries to brush off the claim saying that such aspects will inevitably disappear. This fails to dissuade the friends however, stating that she clearly doesn't know Sora. This proves enough to rekindle the spark in Sora, and along with his companions he finally faces off against Ava.

* * *

After a taxing battle that puts the trio to their limits, they defeat the embittered keyblade mistress. With her ambitions put to rest, Ava admits to her long held doubts about defying her fate. Sora, ever the pure hearted hero, comforts the aging woman as time finally catches up with her. "You know," he says, "even if I am stuck, and end up doing the exact same things the other me did. I'm looking forward to actually meeting you".

Caught off guard by this testament Ava asks him how he could even say that, especially with everything that's just happened. His reply: "I'd like to get the chance to see you happy". Reminded of why she gravitated to the master in the first place, she can't help but let out a tearful smile. "And to think, I wished for everything to just go away..." Ava finishes, fading into golden dust as she finally let's go.

Sobered by their experience, the party finishes in Kuzco and takes their leave; weighed down by the knowledge this experience has exposed them to.

* * *

A/N:

Hoo boy, this was a brick even in summary. Suffice it to say I am now going into uncharted waters by creating the inciting conflict of Xehanort's career. I hope that I was able to create a satisfactory explanation to the disappearance of Scala Ad Caelum, as well as a fare conclusion to our prodigal daughter Ava.

I have no delusions that I have left a lot unsaid about lore. So if any of you have questions or comments PLEASE let me know. The last thing I want to do is leave anyone (unintentionally) confused.

Also, in game this would unlock both the KUZCO and Ava's keyblades. In the spirit of the movie the KUZCO keyblade is just as golden and Kuzco'y as everything else that was Kuzco's. As for Ava's keyblade… well, you all know its design, and the significance that using it would hold…


	18. The Burning Garden

Radiant Garden with Ventus, Axel and Gula. Bolstered by the numerous warriors of the world the heroes are able to face the hoards in direct combat. Over the course of the battle it is revealed that Maleficent has aligned herself with these heartless believe them willing to give her dominion over the darkness.

As it would turn out, her ambitions have only served to lose the last piece of humanity within her, and she became a mindless beast in the process. Pete, trying his best to maintain his ally's good graces, is nearly destroyed by her mindless rampage. Fortunately Gula is able to save the toon just in time, but in the process accidentally reveals his face Ventus.

The blond is surprised to find a striking resemblance to Sora in his master. When he finds time to ask about it, Gula has very little insight himself (having to settle for it being a "coincidence" whenever he brought it up with the master). There isn't time to further question him before a new threat rears its head.

An alarune type heartless, nearly the size of a building, erupts from the center of the battlefield. At first the Ally forces become overwhelmed from the onslaught, but with a little quick thinking, they find a solution to their problem by tricking Maleficent into attacking the Alarune.

The battlefield is plunged into complete chaos as the giant creatures clash. Eventually the draconic Maleficent gains the upper hand and slays the Alarune. Two hearts escape the form and begins to go through the same process the other invisibles. Before it can reach the void moon a ball of light collides into it. A metamorphosis takes place as the hearts seemingly goes through an invisible game of tug o' war, bursting into a radiant stream of light before settling into the unconscious forms of Lauriam and Relena.

Maleficent rears back to finish the two off again, but the heroes jump in to defend. A short battle with the injured and deranged Maleficent ensues. When at last the dragon is slain, a pure-black heart descends and overtakes the corrupted corpse, giving the body of the wicked fairy new life. Wary, the champions of order ready themselves to face a new threat, but are stopped when Gula recognizes the situation and orders everyone to lower their weapons.

Standing, the body of Maleficent pops its joints and groans. It then begins to mutter "So I'm stuck with a hag this time around huh? Whelp (*stretch), beggars can't be choosers."

The rest of the heroes soon discover that this is Luxu, whose heart is (more or less) immortal. However, as a consequence the only bodies that can support it must be irredeemably dark (a trick that Xehanort acquired when he was partially possessed).

His presence here, much to the dread of all in attendance, means that the Dark Inferno defeated the veteran, and is now free to rampage.

* * *

A/N:

Yep, I've been sitting on this one for a while. Honestly I don't know how this chapter will be taken. But the more I think about it the more I realize that this is far from the greatest leap in logic I've taken you all on. So I hope that you all enjoy this chapter, or at least find enough to pick apart.


	19. Undone

Destiny Islands with Donald, Goofy, Mickey & Aced. Being furthest from the dark invasion they believed they'd have some time before the brunt. Much to their surprise the darkness had arrived before them. As a result the past couple of hours had been filled with constant battle. Eventually the townspeople had either been all evacuated or overtaken, save for the resident of a villa near the shoreline (is revealed to be Riku's house).

Riku's mom, a silver haired woman wearied by the world, is sitting on the veranda, waiting for either the heroes or the heartless. Mickey manages to reach the house first. Wasting no time the king tries to usher the woman away, but she makes no move to follow.

Instead, she softly smiles to the mouse and asks "You're King Mickey, aren't you?" Surprised by the question, he asks her how she knew. The mother replies that her son told her all about his adventures the last time he was there. Apparently it was nice, one the only times they could talk comfortably in recent memory.

Calmly she presses a silver jewelry box into the mouse's hands and tells him to give it to Riku. It will apparently reveal an important truth held by his family for generations. Mickey pushes it back and tries to emphasize the need to evacuate. But with an air of melancholy she apologizes, "It's already too late".

From the island a flood of darkness as deep as the one that ended the age of fairytales comes pouring out of the cave, infecting the very ocean itself. The king is flabbergasted at the apocalyptic display, and just as the rest of his allies join him (having just finished their duties), they are equally stupefied.

The Dark Inferno flies from the island, Riku's mom doesn't resist as she's cut down, and the four warriors are quickly overwhelmed.

* * *

Sora and company encounter Mickey's heart in the final world. The king apprises the trio of everything that has happened, Destiny Island included. The onslaught of revelations utterly shatters the teens, all of whom immediately scramble to induce the power of awakening. They are stopped though by the comforting specter, who instead entreats them to save their energy to save Minnie for him.

Sora, now having lost all patience for "this scavenger hunt", vocally forsakes his destiny. This admission causes his older self to manifest, and begins to earnestly entreat Sora back towards the path. He even goes so far as to drop all pride prostrate himself to beseech the trio. It all falls on deaf ears as far as his junior is concerned, and he dismissively turns his back on him.

Not wanting to deny their friend's wishes, and bearing their own reservations towards the plan, Riku and Kairi also turn away. The young woman offers to piggyback Sora's heart into her body, thus allowing the hero to awaken prematurely. The last master makes no move from his position as the teens fade out of existence.

Chapter ends with the fabric of universe begins to collapse in on itself. And as the peerless horizons of the Final World give way to an all consuming void; the master calmly gets to his feet and sighs out "fine, plan c it is then...", vanishing before even the peerless waters drains to nothing.

* * *

A/N:

And so we enter the final act of this story. It has been quite a ride, but I'm glad to finally get this out there. I'll be away from my computer (this time planned) for a short holiday trip. If any of you come across this, I genuinely thank you for your time and consideration.


	20. A Broken Destiny

Making a beeline for Destiny Islands (and ignoring the foreteller's reactions of dread and confusion) the intrepid heroes embark on their reckless rescue.

On arrival they are shocked to find the world no different than the shores of the Realm of Darkness. There on the sandy beach, patiently waits the Dark Inferno. It says no words, but it blatantly directs its full gaze towards Riku. Most peculiarly it makes no move to attack, instead making the invitational salute of a duelist. Though thrown off, Riku and Kairi draw their weapons in kind.

Without a body Sora is unable to engage directly in the battle. Therefore it is up to Riku and Kairi to defeat this darkness (testing the experience gained in the sleeping worlds). Throughout the battle the world seems to glitch randomly between its light and dark counterparts.

The duo eventually defeats the heartless, but just as the many times before it begins to reform. Seeing that they would need greater strength, Sora overcomes his trepidation and asks Riku to utilize the King's Key. His friend questions if he's sure, and Sora voices his resolve in reply ("If I have you two by my side, I can face whatever future this leads me to!") This is enough to set Riku and Kairi at ease, declaring that they will finish this together.

Charged by the power of friendship, the destiny trio combines their strength in a singular and all-mighty Trinity Strike, finally sealing Ephemer's heart once and for all.

With the Dark Inferno defeated the unconscious forms of Aced and the Disney duo reappear just up the beach. Kairi and Sora immediately direct their attention to the survivors, but Riku becomes distracted by the glittering object the heartless left behind. The silverette investigates, and is devastated to find the familiar form of his mother's jewelry box. Drawn by his tears his friends realize his heart ache and return to comfort him.

A few moments later their mourning is interrupted by a steady pulse emitting from the object. Confused, the destiny trio opens its lid, so unleashing the reawakened memory that was safeguarded within.

* * *

We cut to a memory of an elderly Ephemer and his child sitting on the play island's beach. Having been the first Dandelion to arrive to the world-line he has spent the majority of his life establishing Scala ad Caelum and the keyblade order.

Despite his efforts, Ephemer realized that the darkness of the past was far too pervasive for the young order to defend against. Therefore, in order to keep the worlds safe, he decided the plan to isolate the realm of darkness in the lanes between and seal the doors on both sides.

The founder and his child had finished preparations, but neither was ready to say goodbye yet. So, just as countless others would after them, they enjoyed one final sunset amongst the breaking waves. A dialogue ensues that confirms all that has been previously summarized, as well as the promise that one day it would be set right.

The time comes for the warriors to say goodbye. Ephemer would remain in the darkness and endure for as long as he could while his child and their silver-haired lineage would remain on the islands as stewards of the door, for it is by their bloodline that the seal is controlled. Before he entered the cave where the door is hidden, Ephemer bestows his child with the family crest ring, the same one that would go on to reside in the jewelry box and bestow Riku's party with this memory.

* * *

Back to the present Riku retrieves his family and dons it, in recognition of a legacy he never realized before. Also at this time Donald, Goof, and Aced stir. Sora and company finally assist the survivors. Having to break the news of the King's departure with his mage and knight the teens also share in grief.

Such mourning does not last long however, for when Aced fully returns to his senses he notices Sora's presence. Instantly the master flies into a fit of rage and attacks the boy's host. Caught off guard, Riku and Kairi barely ward of his assault.

Once positioned to defend themselves the teens demand to know what's wrong. In reply Aced roars "You fool! You ruined everything! Again!" The man goes on to explain venomously that the sleeping worlds are, in reality, the past. By the mission unfulfilled Sora and company failed to establish THE cornerstone of the universe's history. Now the timeline is collapsing like a Jenga tower, and they'll all be erased along with it.

Sora tries to apologize to Aced, but it all falls on deaf ears. Instead, the once proud and wrath filled champion, merely drops his keyblade and miserably crumbles to his knees. Kairi reaches out to comfort him but the master slaps her hand away.

"If I ever see your face again runt... I will kill you..." Aced decrees neutrally.

Not willing to push the matter further, Riku pulls Kairi back and quietly leaves with his friends in tow. Soon, all that remained on the cursed shores was a broken beast, numbly waiting for the undoing of all things...


	21. The Last Chance

Arriving back to the survivor camp the Destiny trio is spared no time before being questioned by their friends and allies. Hesitant to tell everyone about the imminent doom, our heroes decide to truncate that aspect of the story. Donald, Goofy and the remaining foretellers remain quite on the matter, putting on a façade of normalcy as they lead everyone else to get ready for the battle to come.

The chapter then commits itself to following the reunited cast dealing with recent events (Such as Roxas grieving over Hayner and Ventus' reunion with Vanitas on neutral ground). The final event of note involves Sora and Xigbar.

After receiving a temporary body from Ansem and Even, Sora wanders the encampment in a daze. Knowing that he just doomed the universe the boy is lost in regret, and feels as if everyone really would have been better off if he never existed in the first place. These dark thoughts attract Luxu like a moth to a flame, and the eternal vagabond intercepts Sora as he passes a secluded section of the camp. Sora, knowing nothing of recent events involving Xigbar's return, mistakes the body hopper for maleficent and tries to attack them. However with no small effort the sniper calms the boy down for a chat.

Ever the master of tact Luxu starts the conversation by drawing attention to Sora "messing the collective bed". Too drained to be offended, Sora only nods numbly in response. Seeing that they can't get a rise out of him, Luxu smirks and explains that this isn't the first time this sort of thing has happened. In fact, the Master of Masters and Luxu had nearly erased the universe at least a dozen times throughout their journeys.

At first Sora doesn't believe Luxu about traveling with his older self. To convince the morose teen otherwise he pulls out the old and beaten gummi-phone. Shocked, the keyblade hero wastes no time in grabbing the device and opening it. The screen flares to life with a picture of his older self standing with a group of young, mask-less, foretellers. Eldest amongst the students was Luxu, who although wore a different body, held the same yellow eyes as before. What stuck out most to Sora however was the heartfelt grin on his other self's face, for it bore a brilliance he thought already lost to himself.

Taking this opportunity Luxu begins to tell the boy about how they first met. Long before the world-line that gave birth to the age of fairy tales was a world called Midgard. He was born not long before its end, bearing what his people regarded as a curse from the goddess Hela. It made it so that his spirit would never rest, poisoning those around him with the darkness of the underworld. And for that reason he was banished from his village, and spent the rest of his life in that world as an outcast.

It was during fimbulwinter, the last three years of ice before ragnarok that he met Sora. Life was becoming increasingly scarce in those days, yet the keyblade master was passing along like there wasn't a care in the world. At first Luxu tried to ignore the seemingly mad traveler, but the man approached him instead (just to stir up a conversation about the weather no less).

Sora's magnetic personality wormed its way to his heart almost immediately. What started as a brief chat spun into an hour, and after returning the next day, it escalated to two. For weeks the pair grew more and more familiar with one another, and Luxu eventually felt comfortable enough to tell the man about his affliction. The Master of Masters was unfazed by this confession however, and in turn revealed his own darkness, the lingering rage, that continued to fester from the core of his being. And from that day onward the pair traveled together, always one step ahead of oblivion.

With the story concluded Sora was speechless. Amused by this change in their eternal dynamic the body hopper pats the boy on the back.

"If I've learned anything from you, it's to roll with the punches" Luxu explains with rare affection. "Sure, things look bad right now, but as if that's stopped you before. Just stick to that conviction of yours, and the world will adapt with you".

The sniper then hands the hero a piece of paper bearing a circle of runes, telling him to use it on the tree to open the way to Yen Sid. Encouraged by this Sora thanks his former enemy and heads off to collect Riku and Kairi. Together the trio departs to recover Sora's body, while everyone else gathers for the last stand before the end.


	22. Turning the Tables

The adventure through Yen Sid's vault puts the destiny trio through a gauntlet of the Disney worlds from the previous games. After finishing the last they reach a lush field with a solitary tree at its center. Beneath it is Sora's body, as well as the ever grim Yen Sid. Finally face to face with the sorcerer, Sora engages in a heart to heart.

He tells him about how he saw what happened at Scala ad Caelum and understands why he thought sabotaging Sora's life would prevent that. But regardless of all of that, what Yen Sid has done is wrong, and he's causing Innocent people to suffer needlessly.

The sorcerer is surprisingly unfazed by this. He already knows that his mistake has doomed the universe, and nothing matters anymore. At the same time, he admits that there was a secret darkness behind everything he did. On a fundamental level, Yen Sid just doesn't like Sora. Despite the boy's irrevence and lack of birthright, he was the one to be chosen by destiny (not Riku or Kairi).

Having had enough of the sorcerer, Riku declares that he full-heartedly disagrees and initiates the battle.

* * *

Despite Yen Sid's immense magical prowess, Sora and his friends win the day. With his last barrier obstacle defeated Sora returns to his body. With a little help from Riku and Kairi the boy is brought to his feet, yet is quickly knocked back down by a suddenly manifested Master of Masters.

"Well me, it looks like you finally did your job" the man taunted.

Acting on impulse Riku and Kairi strike-out, succeeding only in getting their weapons caught by the master bare-fingered and are summarily tossed down alongside their friend.

"Honestly guys, attacking me after everything we've been through? I'm offended."

"Then what do you call what you're doing!?" Sora demanded as he struggled to his feet.

"Plan C" replies the master, revealing Luxord's wild card that he just pinched off of his younger self. "You see, keeping the universe from collapsing has been like an endless, all-or-nothing, poker game. With such high stakes I got used to setting up an ace up my sleeve. Or in this case, a king". Raising the gambler of fate's card aloft he summoned a crown to its surface, and the universe's collapse came to a sudden halt.

* * *

Back at the survivor's battle, the heartless hoard suddenly froze in place. Despite their weariness the remaining champions of light could not help but be thrown off by this development. Before anyone could voice their concern the barren world around them began to shift.

Like a rewinding movie the barren landscape re-integrated and disintegrated itself into countless bygone cities. First into the cable-strewn skyline of Scala ad Caelum, then into the twisting streets of Day Break town. On and it went until finally settling into the dark and rainy streets of Tokyo, and in the park center, the Master of Masters and the stunned destiny trio.

"Now without further adieu-" the man declares as he summons the kingdom key. "Let's bring it on home". Before anyone could react the Master tossed the playing card at his younger self and unleashes an unsealing beam through it, striking Sora straight in his heart.

A shockwave knocks away the boy's companions, and accompanied by the boys screams the crowns of his past journey escape one by one. The objects begin to orbit him, rotating faster and faster until flying into the sky and encircling the moon. Then, with a Nova of light, the original Kingdom Hearts is born...

Before the survivors or heroes can recover, the senior Sora slumps his unconscious junior over his shoulder. "Thank you all for being a wonderful audience, but if you'll excuse us we are late for a very important date." At this point Riku and Kairi regain their footing and beg him not to do this. With a melancholy voice he replies "sorry guys, but only one Sora can win this game... I would ask that you don't follow me, but I know that you'll try anyway."

Turning skyward, the Master of Masters gave his students one final assignment. "Invi, Gula, Luxu, Ira... Aced... give me a little more time..." On queue the surviving keyblade master appeared in full battle attire. Forming a line between him and the recovering heroes, their mentor leapt into the sky and flew towards Kingdom Hearts (back to where everything will ultimately begin).


	23. Kingdom Hearts

Awakening on a mosaic platform of infinite size (depicting scenes from EVERY Disney and Square Enix property), Sora sees his older self longing on an intricate throne.

"Morning lazy, how'dya sleep" the master mocked in a condescending tone".

Ignoring his jab, the islander scrambled forward and prepared to attack. But before he could make it three feet his senior merely extended his hand and stole the boy's weapon. Sora continued to charge undeterred, yet the throne then began sliding away at matched speed. To an outsider observer the scene would be reminiscent of an angry hamster on a wheel.

"Now now, that's no way for the savior of the universe to behave" the keyblade founder continued to taunt. "Besides, I still need to give you that explanation I promised. You still want those answers don'tcha?"

Seeing the futility of the chase Sora begrudgingly came to a stop, not once relinquishing his hate filled gaze.

"Good boy" with a casual flick of the wrist the man tossed the keyblade back to its owner.

* * *

Back outside the ensuing melee has been split into five groups. The first battle to be observered is Aced versus Vanitas. Although the ursine master made his death threat to Sora, he decided that the doppelganger's irritating face would have to suffice. However, before Aced can get an upper hand, Donald and Goofy jump in to assist.

Vanitas being who he is mocks the duo for helping a bad guy like him. Much to his surprise however the knight and wizard ignore his biting words and claim that everyone deserves a little help, no matter how they have been. Unaccustomed to genuine kindness, the dark heart of the boy can't help but soften ever so slightly. Doing his best to shake off such feelings, Vanitas calls the duo crazy and fights alongside them.

In the end, Aced's festering rage is severed from him; drawn out of his heart and consumed by Vanitas to join the endless ranks of the unversed. The boy claimed that the act was performed out of pure self interest, but his temporary allies insist that he had nobler intentions. Flustered the villain fervently denies this, thus insighting a childish argument between Donald and himself. But deep down in his heart, he was beginning to worry if he was actually going soft...

* * *

"Once upon a time there was a lonely world." The master began. "Unlike all the others in its universe it was the only one with intelligent life, the kind that could look beyond reality and dream of things that have never existed before. However, that isn't how it had to be, for there was a secret magic that could make these dreams real if all of the world's people united for that very purpose." His typically joviality suddenly gave way disappointment.

"Unfortunately such an event remained a dream in and of itself, for the universe they inhabited existed in an endless and unavoidable cycle of light and darkness, creation and destruction. So even when the people discovered this potential, a new age of darkness would rear its head and erase their progress, and the world would remain silent until an age of light started everything over again. And so this process continued, a pointless process of balance conducted by unknowable yet indifferent powers, and so it would have continued to be forever."

With a grin the older Sora's typical tone returned. "That was, until we entered the picture."

"Having lost my place in the wheel I could see things as an outsider. When I decided that I hated what I saw I set to work finding a loophole, a way to make sure that the efforts of a previous cycle would count for something."

With a clap he exclaimed "That's when it hit me, if I could be a tourist of time, why couldn't I take some souvenirs?

Of course, it's not as simple as buying a keychain or taking a photo, I needed to make a place that could literally store everything that there ever can and has been. Luckily for me, I remembered the power that lay inside people's being, or perhaps you could call it, their hearts..."

The younger man paled as it all finally came together. With a shaky voice Sora stated "So, what your saying is..."

"... That we created Kingdom Hearts? Yep, right on the mark".

* * *

The second battle, Aqua and Terra vs. Ira

* * *

The master then conjured the image of a world orbiting an invisible axis. "All I needed to get started were seven ruling ideals, ones that could draw people together instinctively, and with them, create a sanctuary from Oblivion" he continued. With every cycle the world crumbled, but would send the image of a crown to the orbital center before reforming as a completely new world. Each time a kanji would flash: duty, respect, courage, sincerity, compassion, integrity and finally, with the playing card bearing his crown, honor.

"Thanks to my, and now your, efforts" the elder emphasized by pointing a finger towards the youth, "it worked". With a flash the crowns fused together and created the heart-shaped moon of kingdom hearts.

"From their it all went like clockwork" with another wave the projection continued its cycle. "Just as planned, our project went on to spare countless cycles worth of hearts." The model reflected this as the orbiting world would send a cloud of hearts each time it decayed. And with each delivery, Kingdom Hearts grew steadily in size.

"Eventually we had collected enough hearts to shape not only the world, but the entire universe. Thus," with a snap of his fingers the model stopped it's rotation on Yozora's version, "A new world order was born."

With a pulse of light from Kingdom Hearts the lonely world disappeared, and in its place grew a Titanic planet larger than a thousand worlds combined. This was the world-line that would create the age of fairytales.

* * *

Third battle, Ventus and Axel vs. Gula

* * *

Having remained quiet throughout most of the lesson the younger Sora finally spoke. "But it didn't work like we wanted, right?"

The older one released a heavy sigh. "Exactly" the man confirmed as he rested his head on his fist. "Turns out the original order of things is impossible to get rid of, and adapts to whatever rules we place in front of it. Thus came the prophecy: blah blah fated land, blah blah light expires" the master punctuated by causing the image of the world to explode into the near infinite pieces we know today.

"Naturally the easiest method for this entropy was through Kingdom Hearts, which thanks to my propensity to disappear; I could not guard 24/7. Stuck between a rock and a hard place, that's when it hit me. If I can't run from the inevitable, why not use it to my advantage instead?"

Flicking his wrist the master erased the image of the planet and replaced it with those similar to Sora and Roxas.

"Before we became lost I always thought our similarities between Roxas, Ven and Vanitas were just coincidences" He continued excitedly. "But it turns out that it was all part of a plan I hadn't created yet!"

The teacher seemed to lose his student at this point. Rolling his eyes at the apparent look of confusion on the young Sora's face, the master started again more slowly.

"What I mean is we created a rule in the universe that there must always be at least one version of us at any given time. Being based on Kingdom Heart's creator they will have ultimate authority on opening it and closing it. That way anyone who tries to open Kingdom Hearts has to use one of us in the X-blade's creation, and the story about needing 7 pure lights and 13 darknesses would be a distraction."

This alleviated some of the younger Sora's confusion, but its logic still unnerved him.

"With that in place I felt comfortable letting history take its course. The original order would always have a foe destined to counter its plans at the controls, and the rest became literal history".

* * *

Fourth battle, Roxas and Xion vs. Invi... (More a conversation than actual fighting)

* * *

"What I didn't realize was just how adaptable the old order is" the master continued. "Because of us the end of this world-line has been delayed three times in a row, which has made the powers that be more than a little frustrated."

Changing the image again the Master of Masters conjured a tower labeled history.

"Rather than put up with our meddling any longer it has orchestrated fate to wipe the board clean all together. By denying you the creation of Kingdom Hearts, none of this can be possible" flicking his finger master Sora knocked out a key support of the tower and watched it all crumble. "THAT is the fate you so nearly caused in just a few hours ago, and the reason why I hesitated telling you about the real reason for your journey; AND can't trust you enough to take over for me as you are."

"So!" The Master of Masters exclaimed with a clap of his hands, "now that I'm done expositing your ear off, it's time to cut to the chase. I need you to forget everything about the last couple weeks so that you can go through the motions that turn you into me. I'll tighten up the time-stream to avoid any unexpected visitors, and we can all move forward with the best happily ever after we can manage. So, what do you say?"

* * *

Fifth battle, Riku and Kairi vs. Luxu

* * *

The younger Sora was silent as he processed all of this information. Maybe he would go on to understand all this time travel stuff eventually, but at this point, it was all well over its head. Yet for all that was incomprehensible to him now, his sense of dread was able to shine through.

"... For all this talk about saving the world, it sounds like I'll be the one to suffer the most for it" the teen conjectured.

"... I suppose so" the master replied soberly, "the best possible path forward needs us to bear most of the weight".

Both Soras' were silent for a time as the youngest mulled it over. There was no denying that there was a time when he wouldn't give a second thought about sacrificing anything of himself to save the rest of the world. But after having traveled the sleeping worlds with Riku and Kairi, and experiencing the lengths his friends would go to save him first hand, he just couldn't be the same martyr he was before.

"... A good friend of ours gave me advice not too long ago" the young hero explained. "He told me that I should stick to my course, and the world will adapt with it". He chuckled and admitted "I know this whole thing with the universe disappearing wasn't the best time to try that out, but, I'd like to give it another shot" the boy concluded with a smile.

"...Even if it hurts everyone else around us?" The master questioned severely. "I'm serious when I say that my solution will lead to the best outcome; diverging from it will only cause more problems for other people to deal with".

"That's fine" the youth stated as he placed a hand over his heart. "I've realized that going off on my own was already hurting those that I care about. So in a way, maybe including them in what's coming ahead wouldn't be so bad after all. That way, even if things become hard to deal with, at least we'll always have each other to make it not seem so bad".

With a heavy sigh the Master of Masters accepted that his junior would not be moved. "Fine," the keyblade founder relented, "We'll just handle this the old-fashioned way". Standing from the throne the elder Sora began to remove his coat and gloves. "Let's fight to see whose heart is stronger. If I win we go with my plan, and if you win, you can use Kingdom Hearts to do whatever you think is right."

As the final piece of black material fell to the ground, dark veins begin to encompass the man's scarred torso. "Heads up though, I've been using my coat to hide A LOT of built up anger, a few dozen lifetimes of it in fact". Entering the final stage of rage form, also called "void form" by the scarce few to have seen it, master Sora's body produced six additional limbs of darkness, each possessing a keyblade of impossible make.

"I wish you the best of luck, brave prince" the beast taunted as the last vestiges of humanity gave way to darkness, lunging forward with a monsoon of keyblades.

Sora, mustering all the courage inside himself, leapt to meet him.

* * *

In videogame terms, the Master of Masters is at level 999. No matter how much experience Sora gains on his adventure he'll only be able to reach level 99. Therefore this battle is impossible to handle as he is.

However, that is where his allies on the outside come in. As they overcome their foreteller opponents they lend Sora their own strength. Once all eleven are finished, there is a very real possibility that Sora could even outmatch his superior.

Through the power of friendship Sora is eventually victorious.

* * *

With one final blow the Master of Masters is defeated. Expunged of the darkness that has preserved him for so long, he finally gives in to the pull of eternal sleep.

The younger Sora is horrified to see his older self disappear, exclaiming that this wasn't what he wanted. But the fading master is quick to chastise such sentiment. After all, there isn't only room for one on a throne, one hand to guide one destiny. With an honest smile the Master of Masters wishes his other self, now truly separated from his own fate, good luck once again.

And with that, he is expunged from the universe.

Shaken by this experience Sora finally decides how to set everything right. Rising on shuddering legs he walks over to the throne of Kingdom Hearts. Sitting upon it he closes his eyes, and asks for a singular wish with all his heart.

Instantly the mosaic realm is awash in white, and destiny is rewritten forevermore.


	24. Happily Ever After

The blank void left in Kingdom Hearts wake quickly dissipated, and everyone found themselves upon a lush and verdant field. Not only were the survivors of the final battle there, but also those who were lost in the invasion such as Hayner, Mickey and Riku's mother. Most surprising however was the presence of lost union members, hearts freed and returned to human form. Like a sweeping wave the revelation of their salvation swept over all those in attendance, and cries of celebration rang out all across the land.

Sora, sitting upon a stump at its center, laughed as he watched his friends scan their surroundings in confusion. Hearing him Riku and Kairi rushed over to embrace their beloved friend, followed shortly by all of those whose lives he touched one way or another; Including the now ecstatic Ava and joyous Aced. The gathering was growing so dense in fact that the young man was having trouble finding room to breathe. He was given a reprieve as the crowd parted to let in an ashamed Yen Sid, who apologizes to Sora for his misplaced Ire; and begs for the boy's forgiveness. Sora being who he is doesn't give a second thought before shaking the sorcerer's hand, asking him to "don't worry about it".

Last amongst the collective to greet the boy were two old men; Luxu, restored to his true form, and the very tired but amused Master of Masters. Despite everything that had happened Riku and Kairi were quick to welcome their old friend with open arms. And although Luxu hated it at first, Sora did not hesitate to do the same to him.

* * *

An hour later, when reunions and festivities had died down, the two Soras went off on their own. One final meeting between the most unlikely savior and the fabled Master of Masters.

The man asked Sora about what exactly happened, what kind of wish lead to such an unexpectedly happy outcome. The youth in turn explained that he wished for Kingdom Hearts to save everyone in the way it thought best (essentially handing control back to the collective conscious inherent in those hearts brought together). Utilizing its immense capacity for imagination, the collective that is Kingdom Hearts fashioned a whole new universe from scratch, one far removed from the old order and its cycle. After that it was just a matter of "displacing" everyone from the old universe and drawing them to this new one.

Sora gave his former senior a smug grin after explaining all of this; who in turn maintained that his plan was better with no small measure of feigned indignation. This façade only lasted but a moment however, and both men let loose in carefree laughter.

Sobering himself, the now aged hero reminded his former self that there would be consequences for his actions. "If I've learned anything from my mess of a life, it's that there's always going to be someone out to ruin your day". The young hero Sora, once more the optimist, is unfazed by this warning. After all, if HIS adventures have taught him anything, it's that any danger can be overcome if he has friends by his side.

Master Sora smiled sadly at this, and declared that he might be right about that. But whatever dangers come up from this point onward, he and Luxu will have to take a hard pass. Naturally the islander is surprised to hear this and asks for the reason behind it.

In short the two veteran meddlers of fate have just become too old for this game. They gave up their humanity over and over again for gambles that were only won by the wildest of chance. Now, both of the keyblade vagabonds just want to plant roots again, maybe even try that mythical thing called "retirement" for a little while.

"Besides" the former master continued. "This world's all you kid. That means that first dibs on adventures are all yours".

Off in this distance Riku and Kairi are calling for Sora. With one final nudge from the old man, accompanied by a promise to not go disappearing into thin air again, Sora joyfully races off to meet them.

As for the former Master of Masters, he can do nothing but smile with all his heart. It has taken what has very nearly been forever, but his long journey had finally come to an end.

Sora was home to stay.

* * *

A/N:

Aaand done! After a year of work my first multi-chapter work is (technically) finished! And I was able to finish just in time for Re:Mind no less.

I know that it has been a long time coming, and I have probably lost most of you along the way, but I want to thank you all for sticking with me. And true to the Kingdom Hearts format I intend to release some secret reports and true ending. But for now, I need a break to enjoy the canon dlc for a change.

As always, thank you for your time and consideration, and I look forward to being of service in the future. Until next time.


	25. Secret Reports

Report 1:

An entry dedicated to Luxord and his adjustment to being made whole; particularly his recollection of his original memories and true name. The most critical, however, is the mission that he engraved upon his very being, or as he puts it, "beating HIS gambit"

* * *

Report 2:

An entry describing Xigbar's feelings after rescuing Ava in Radiant Gardens, and his resolve to keep her out of the conflicts to come.

* * *

Report 3:

An entry that explains that Skuld had crossed over around the same time brain had. Leaving him with responsibility of managing Scala Ad Caelum she embarked on a mission to find and protect traces of pure light amongst the worlds.

* * *

Report 4:

Another report from Luxord. Despite his best efforts he is not able to find "him" again. This "him" was the reason that he went along with Xehanort's 13 (to keep an eye on the target). With "him" unaccounted for, it is entirely possible that things "will go bad like before".

* * *

Report 5:

Xehanort's brother recounts his frustrations with his brother's departure for Scala Ad Caelum. For generations their bloodline has sequestered themselves to the islands, not only to play custodian to the border of the dark realm, but to also limit the chance of its undoing. The magic that keeps the old chaos at bay was fashioned from their for Father's blood, and asleep in that very same blood, lies the key to its undoing.

It is because Xehanort hasn't been taught of this yet (for it is a secret kept only by the family head and their heir) that he was allowed to leave. But the elder brother maintains his disapproval, for he knows that it's only a matter of time before his younger sibling's studious nature stumbles upon the truth anyway.

As much he loathes admitting it, the future is now beyond his control. He only hopes that the rest of their silvered haired bloodline will not follow in his brother's footsteps.

* * *

Report 6:

Skuld describes her experience finding familiar worlds. Like every other keyblade wielder of her time she spent the majority of her life hunting lux in the Disney worlds such as Agrabah and Beast's Castle. Finding their direct copies in an entirely different world line throws her for a spin, especially with the spattering of familiar faces. Skuld can't help but to question the nature of this "new frontier".

* * *

Report 7:

Luxord makes a written confession. The name he once went by was Brain, one of the selected Dandelion masters. In his youth he had direct interaction with the one who called himself "Darkness". This figure was the one who suggested becoming "a glitch in the program", a course of action that nearly erased himself and his allies.

When his friends defeated Darkness and crossed into the current world-line he thought that the being was gone forever. But during the fall of Scala Ad Caelum, just as everything around him faded to black, he saw "Darkness" in the flesh. He was far lesser than he remembered though, easily mistakable for a young man. But his smile and cadence was the same as he remembered.

Ever since that day he engrained the purpose of finding him into his very being. Even when he had to throw in his proverbial hand with organization 13 he always made sure to remain vigilante for that grin (although he had all but forgotten why by that point).

When Xehanort summoned him once more to be part of the thirteen darknesses however, he remembered everything. He thought he found his quarry in Xigbar, and it wasn't until near the end of the war that he realized his mistake. By that point Darkness was aware of him, and kept himself beyond Luxord's grasp.

The only chance he had left was to trust in another to overcome Darkness. That is why he bestowed Sora with a portion of his fate magic, hoping that this thrice proven hero will be the key to thwarting Darkness.

* * *

Report 8:

An excerpt from master Sora's "dream journal" regarding his early adventures. In his quest to overcome the cycle of light and darkness, our hero experimented with many methods before settling with creating kingdom hearts. One of the most promising, but also most difficult, was crossing into another universe.

Unlike the separation of world-lines the borders between universes are impenetrable. No matter what he threw at one he could not break (or sneak) his way through. It wasn't until after he gave up that he discovered that the universal order is the sole master of the boundaries, and the only way past one is either by the permission of the powers that be (which have made their hatred for him abundantly clear); or to supplant their authority entirely.

* * *

Report 9:

After many decades, Skuld has found a place to settle. In Radiant Gardens a conglomerate of researchers have begun independent research into the nature of hearts. Knowing the danger that it could bring, Skuld will station herself in this world to keep a close eye on them, especially on the young leader of the team Ansem.

* * *

Report 10:

Luxord finally discovers Darkness's long game. Through his subtle influence in the background another "glitch in the program" has occurred. Now between Ava's madness and the disability of the past, Darkness is almost certain to win the game this time around.

As much as he wishes to aid his former allies, Luxord cannot leave Darkness on the loose. No matter how bad things get, his first and only priority is finding Darkness, and kick him from the table once and for all.

* * *

Report 11:

Skuld has become a grandmother. Amongst the lull of peace in Radiant Gardens she has long since planted roots and formed a family. Only now that age and lack of practice has stripped her of her former strength does Skuld encounter the last princess of heart (and she is of her own blood no less). It is too late for her to be the great warrior that she once was, but all the same she swears to give her all to protect and guide her granddaughter towards a happy future.

She may not have any power in foretelling the future, but her heart cannot help but alight with hope when she sees her little Kairi smile.

* * *

Report 12:

A page from the later sections of Sora's dream journal. Having rewritten the laws of the universe with Kingdom Hearts, Sora is finally able to make his way past the universal boundary. He is only able to cross once before making a horrible discovery: it was a one way trip. The moment he entered this new universe he became subject to ITS laws, meaning that his ability to return was solely up to the wills of this "force" he kept hearing about.

The realm was both a blessing and a curse. On one hand his curse of displacement did not exist here, meaning that the master was in no danger of disappearing at random. On the other hand magic did not exist here, meaning that he was deprived of spells, abilities, and even the keyblade. The closest this "Galaxy" had to an equivalent was calling upon the force to act on their behalf; but since Sora was born outside this universe he had no affinity towards it whatsoever. He was even tested for "midichlorians" to make sure, and it came out to be an impossible count of 0.

He was trapped there for what equated to 5 of his world's years. He ran afoul of both the forces of darkness and light on multiple occasions, only surviving thanks to technology that compensated for his lost abilities. Eventually he was able to make friends that helped him reach the realm of the Wills, who agreed to let him return to his own universe on the stipulation that he never comes back. The next thing Sora knew he was back in his universe at the exact moment he had departed it.

In conclusion Sora decided that crossing the universal boundaries is a less than optimal solution. By trading one universal authority for another the subject will be inevitably deprived of the source of their power. Even if the universe has a similar nature to the original, the most minor of inconsistencies could be enough to significantly cripple their ability to function.

"Scariest part is" the master further writes, "parasitic entities, such as the heartless or similar agents of destruction, would stand only to benefit from the transition."

* * *

Report 13:

Luxord has lost his gamble. In the end Darkness proved to slip through his fingers like water. And with Sora's wish taking hold of the universe as a whole, the demon has returned to his full strength, ("saved" from his fate, you might say). The being is far beyond the gambler's reach now. Thus Luxord has no choice but to retreat for now, and wait for others, both new and old, to throw in for the proverbial pot.

The game has only just begun.


End file.
